Eyes Turned Skywards
by Fingersnaps
Summary: Tim finally gets to go undercover and fly a jetpack; but will the fulfilment of his dream turn into a nightmare?
1. Chapter 1

This story is based on an unused fiction exchange prompt from the wonderful channeld. She has been an inspiration and support to me ever since I posted my very first fanfic back in 2008. Tragically she was taken from us on 7 November 2012; this story is my tiny way of saying a very big thank you to her for everything she did for me.

Here's the prompt. _Rocket boy: Tim gets a chance to work with and fly with a jetpack on his back…under more dangerous conditions than he was led to expect. _

Now here's the first chapter

**Eyes Turned Skywards**

They were coming, they were quiet, really quiet, but he always knew when they were close. He tried to ignore the pain that seemed to burn into his very soul; he lay still and waited, maybe this time they would leave him alone, walk by and let him be…so many times he'd tried to get away and every time they'd pulled him back, held him down, hurt him…over and over…how long? How long had they been doing this? He'd lost…time…time didn't mean anything except more pain…they held him so he couldn't move, pushed tubes down his throat 'til he thought he was choking…pierced his skin…so many times…

He'd tried to fight them, only there were too many of them, so many voices whispering, cajoling…what did they want from him? He wouldn't talk, couldn't…just thinking took too much of what little energy he had left…

Could he make one last effort to get away, if he escaped their clutches would the pain lessen, would he care? All he wanted was peace….there was no peace, only noise, pain, so much pain…

Dark…it was always dark, he was cold…or hot…he could never be sure, there was no rest. Over and over the masked men held him down, did unspeakable things…for hours…maybe days, he didn't know, one thing he did know, he couldn't do this any longer, it was too much and he wanted it to stop…

Close…he could feel they were close, there was a hand on his arm. "Get off me." He shouted as loud as he could, it wasn't loud, barely above a whisper, his throat hurt so bad.

"No!" It was the light, burning into his eyeballs, sending shards of pain through his skull. He could feel the sweat running into his eyes, or maybe he was crying, he'd long since given up trying to be strong in front of them, they'd seen him for what he was when the overwhelming pain had wrung screams from his battered throat.

Why did he still call out? No one could help him, he'd called out for them, for Gibbs, Tony…all of them; his family…things were so bad he'd even begged for help from his dad…none of them came, he'd been abandoned…

Wasn't it time to give in, to let them take what they wanted? He was hurting so bad…Enough, he'd had enough…

"Stop…please…can't do…this…kill me…please…"

His eyes closed and a trembling hand reached out for his.

"Gibbs, why doesn't he recognise us? He opens his eyes, but it's like he doesn't see who's right beside him."

"Abs, he's been to hell and back, God knows what he sees when he wakes up." He stood behind her, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "We need to give him time, be here for him."

Fresh tears fell down her cheeks. "He promised me…it's been ten days Gibbs, and he's still so sick…"

He had no answer for her; no words to salve the hurt of watching someone she cared for suffer the way Tim was. The haunted, pain wracked shell sleeping fitfully in the High Dependency Unit of Bethesda Naval Hospital was a world away from the elated young man who had sat with him in Director Vance's office five weeks ago.

NCIS NCIS

"Seriously Director? You want me to go undercover?"

"We do Agent McGee. I have spoken with Agent Gibbs and we are agreed that NCIS has no agent better qualified for this assignment."

Tim's enthusiasm was dampened just a little; he was pretty sure what this was going to be about, but even so, he was going undercover at last. "Is it computers?"

Gibbs smiled, he'd told Leon that would be Tim's first question. "After a fashion; but a very special kind of computer."

Vance picked up the remote from his desk and activated the plasma screen. Tim turned round and was amazed when he saw his own presentation on jetpack flight.

"You know more about jetpack technology than anyone at NCIS, and we need you to use that knowledge to get us into Inanna Industries."

Tim sat up straighter in his chair. Inanna was doing some exciting work on remote flight technology, technology that required a lot of computer back up.

"What the heck kind of name is Inanna? Some kind of Elf Lord thing McGee?"

Tim grinned. "No Boss. Inanna is the Sumerian god of the sky, Inanna Industries is a well respected company in the field of jet flight...why does NCIS have an interest in them Director?"

Vance clicked the remote on his desk and they all turned again to the plasma. "This man, First Lieutenant Chris Preston was found murdered last week. We didn't get to hear about it because he's Air Force, but…" Vance clicked again and a page of computer code filled the screen. Tim leaned forward to get a closer look.

"Doubt even you can make sense of this McGee, it's encrypted; Air Force turned it over to the Pentagon's cyber techs, and they've managed to get in, but only at a low level. One thing they did discover was that Preston was communicating with a Navy officer, no identification as yet. The other thing they found was a number of references to Inanna, Preston was on secondment with them, test pilot for the rocket packs, seems he was worried about something."

Tim was puzzled. "So how come we don't go over and talk with the CEO, see what he has to say?"

"We don't have enough to go on at this stage, if there is a problem inside Inanna and we go in too early…" Vance didn't have to go on. Tim knew they could spook whoever was behind any potential problems at Inanna.

Gibbs pulled his chair closer to Tim. "They're looking to put someone on the inside, only it has to be someone who knows what he's doing. I've seen your jetpack presentation; you're the man for this job, no doubt about it."

Tim was stunned; at last he was getting a chance to go undercover…and jetpacks, it was a dream come true. Vance smiled knowingly at Gibbs; this was the exact reaction Gibbs had told him to expect. Vance coughed theatrically and changed the display on the plasma once more.

"Agent McGee, are you interested in this assignment?"

I…interested? It's…I never would have imagined…"

Gibbs shook his head and smiled at Vance. "I think you can take that as a yes."

Tim blushed; he hadn't stumbled over a sentence that way in years. "Director, I want this assignment, absolutely, yes I want it."

"Very good. We're playing catch up here because the DoD already tried to get a man inside, there's a vacancy in the lab at Inanna but their guy didn't get past the interview. From our point of view the good thing is no one else got through either, now before they re-advertise you need to get in there, and convince them you can do the work. Think you can do it?"

"To get into a company at the cutting edge of jetpack research? Just watch me!"

"Just so long as you're a little more articulate than you were just now you should do fine." Vance nodded in Gibbs' direction. "He's all yours Gibbs."

"Here's what we do Tim, I'll let Tony and Ziva know what's happening and we'll set up some lines of communication. Take the rest of the day to hand off your reports and searches to the rest of the team, you'll need some time to read the case file, check out the Inanna website and the job description. First order of business; get down to the lab and have Abby get started on a cover ID for you."

Tim grinned and almost leapt out of his chair. "On it Boss!"

As Tim disappeared, almost at a run Vance turned to Gibbs with a broad smile on his face. "They still think no one knows they're dating again?"

Gibbs nodded. "Oh yeah; guess it's true what they say, love is blind."

NCIS NCIS

"Tyler Mason." Tim liked the sound of that, they'd tried out a few names but everything sounded…off; this one had a ring of truth to it. "That's the one Abs, now you can start on my background history."

Abby had initially been as thrilled as Tim by the news that he was finally getting the opportunity he'd always craved, the chance to show he could work undercover. He'd looked so happy when he came bounding into the lab that she'd been carried along by his mood, especially when he told her about the jetpacks, but now…undercover meant out of contact, and they'd only just started to get together again.

"Tim…"

He turned away from the computer screen and noticed her sombre expression. "Hey Abs, what's wrong?"

"I'm being silly, and selfish. I want you around all the time, being able to see you every day, be with you after work…"

He took the initiative for a change and gave her a hug. "I love being together too, but you do see Abs, I have a chance to find out why Lieutenant Preston died, there may be no connection, but if there is we have to try and find it."

She hugged him tight, trying to imagine what it would be like not to see him for days, maybe weeks…"Promise me you'll be careful, working undercover can be dangerous."

Tim gave her a gentle kiss and cupped her cheek, staring deep into her eyes. "I promise, but seriously Abby, I'm going to be doing geek stuff in just about the geekiest place around; what could go wrong?"


	2. Chapter 2

6

"Any news Tim?"

"Nothing." Tim looked up at the clock; 4.15pm. "I think I blew it Tony, they said they'd let me know this afternoon."

"Don't sweat it Tim, in case you hadn't noticed; it is still afternoon." Tony knew how much this operation meant to his friend, so he refrained from making further comment.

"Working day ends in forty-five minutes...if they were prepared to give me the job they'd have called by now."

"You check your email McGee?"

Tim gave a nervous smile. "Mason's email page is open on my desktop Boss; I'm not going to miss it...if there is any 'it'."

"Perhaps they are checking the background information on Tyler Mason, if there are any problems..."

"No Ziva, whatever's gone wrong it won't be anything to do with Mason's back story; Abby was real careful."

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, now wasn't the time to let Tim know they all knew about the current status of his relationship with Abby. He had firsthand knowledge of how good her work had been on Tim's cover story. Tony had visited the lab a few times while Tim was catching up on the case file. Abby was almost manic about getting everything perfect, she wanted Tim to have a background that was solid as a rock. If he had to go undercover, become Tyler Mason, then Abby would make sure no one at Inanna could find out he was really Timothy McGee, her very own Very Special Agent.

It had taken Abby a full minute to even notice that Tony was in the lab, a sure sign on how deeply she was involved in her task.

"Hey Abs, you need any help?"

"Tony! You shouldn't sneak up on people that way."

"Okay, what way should I do it?"

She cuffed his arm and gave a slightly harassed smile. "You know what I mean. I'm good Tony; leastways I think I am, I have to be careful you know. I mean a pilot is already dead and Tim...he's going in there alone and I have to be sure everything is right...no margin for error, none at all..."

She was almost hyperventilating and Tony put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You won't make any errors Abs, you know it, I know it, and most important Tim know it; he knows he can rely on you." He quickly kissed the top of her head. "So Ms Sciuto, care to tell me a bit about Tyler Mason?"

Happy to have the chance to double check what she'd worked on so far, Abby directed Tony toward the monitors. Several documents were already displayed on the various screens, a driving licence, passport, social security card. "Good work Abs."

"You really think so Tony?"

Tony had rarely seen Abby so insecure about her abilities, but he fully understood, Tim was her geek, and she wanted to go the extra mile for him. Eager to give her something else to think about he asked. "So where did he go to school?"

Abby clicked the mouse and a new page was displayed. "We tried to keep his educational history as close to Tim's as possible, with a little extra geekiness thrown in for good measure. So he went to lots of schools as he was growing up; Tyler's dad is a retired Navy Commander, and when he was on active duty his family followed him round from base to base."

Tony nodded, it was always best practice in undercover identities to keep thing as close to real life as was possible, that way fewer slips were likely if the undercover operative was asked questions about his background. "What about college?"

A quick smile from Abby as she opened up several new documents. "Multiple degrees of course."

Tony's smile matched hers. "Wouldn't have expected anything different."

"We kept his degree from MIT, just changed it from computer forensics to software design. Gave him another Masters from CalTech in Control and Dynamical Systems, then two years working for Thunderbolt Systems."

"Don't tell me, they do work in jetpacks."

"Ya think, Tony?" Abby was smiling broadly now, and Tony was glad his seemingly inane questions had helped her to relax; she was getting altogether too stressed over Tim's first undercover operation.

"How about his job references?"

"That was easy Tony. Tim asked his old professor at MIT to help him out and he was happy to do it. I have a friend at CalTech, she's pretty high up in the faculty, and she's going to supply a reference if needed, she's even prepared to have a phone interview with Inanna if they want one."

Tony gave her another kiss and headed for the door. "I'd say you've got everything covered Ms Sciuto, now the only thing that remains is for me to get out of here and get you a fresh Caf-Pow."

NCIS NCIS

Tim tried not to look at the clock, but he could feel the minutes ticking by. He'd failed, somehow he'd done something wrong and Inanna didn't want him; he tried to think where it had gone wrong.

The first step had been easier than he would have thought possible; Tim had donned Tyler's persona for a short time and called the CEO of Inanna Industries. Saul Elwood's secretary had been reluctant to put him through at first; Tim was polite but insistent, telling her he'd been on vacation when the original job was advertised and had missed the closing date for applications. He must have sounded genuinely upset when he told her he had missed out on the chance of getting his dream job, because he was given the chance to talk with Elwood, but for no longer than two minutes.

Working with Gibbs had honed his skills in giving information quickly and succinctly, so he'd offered Tyler's reasons for wanting the job, explanations as to why he missed out first time and a plea to be given an interview, all within his two minute deadline.

Elwood had offered him an interview so long as he could attend the next day. Tim accepted with alacrity, and spent his waking hours brushing up on some of the latest developments in computer aided design. He was confident that his knowledge of jetpack technology would stand the test of even the most rigorous questioning. Sitting at his desk, hoping against hope that his phone would ring he was wondering whether he'd been overconfident.

They'd quizzed him for almost an hour on jetpacks and he was sure he'd done okay there. The computer test...he wasn't so sure. Maybe he was a little rusty on some of the protocols and programs they had him working on, but he hadn't passed on any questions, and he'd come up with a workable solution to every hypothetical problem they had set. So what had gone wrong, why didn't they want him? It would be so humiliating to fail at his very first covert assignment before he'd even started. He laughed mirthlessly; if he couldn't even get past a simple job interview no one was likely to give him another opportunity to work undercover.

"Hey Tim!" Tony's voice cut through his reverie and he heard another sound, his phone...no Tyler's phone, was ringing.

His hands were trembling slightly as he answered. "Hello."

"Tyler? It's Miriam Lockhart from Inanna."

"Hi Miriam, I'm hoping you have good news for me." Tim knew Gibbs and the others were listening, he just hoped he wasn't going to let them all down.

"I believe I do. Tyler, we liked what we saw today, and we'd like to offer you the job. How about a three month trial to begin with, see whether we make a good team. How does that sound?"

Tim was grinning, he'd done it! "Sounds great Ms Lockhart."

"I think we can dispense with the formalities Tyler, we're pretty much a first name only bunch here."

"Then it sounds great Miriam; when do I start?"

"I'll email your contract; look it over, if everything looks okay, and so long as your references pan out, how about we see you here 8am Monday?"

"Outstanding, I look forward to working with you." Tim ended the call and looked over at Gibbs. "I did it Boss, I got in."

"Good job Tim." It was Gibbs' turn to look at the clock. "Let's call it a day, we could all use an early finish. First thing tomorrow Tim, you keep doing whatever you need with the computer stuff; get up to speed with Inanna's output. We'll get started on background checks; employees, trading partners; Abby can help us. I want you to concentrate on your side of the job; when you go in there we won't to be able to have much contact, I want you as well prepared as possible." Gibbs smiled at the three shocked faces staring back at him. "Hey, it's not that early."

"Whatever you say Boss; Anthony DiNozzo does not have to be told twice. You up for a quick drink before we head home Tim, Ziva?"

Ziva shrugged. "Why not? It would appear this will be our last early finish for some time. McGee, will you join us?"

"Erm...not tonight guys, I...I'm going to do some more work on the computer."

"Yeah, right." Tony was about to say more but he saw Gibbs' expression, and it was telling him to back off.

"Early start tomorrow, and you can bank on working through the weekend; I want Tim going in there with as much information as we can get for him."

NCIS NCIS

Despite what Tony might have thought, Tim really did want to do some more work on his computer. He'd been able to get through the interview process with his current skills, but he knew he needed a lot more time at the keyboard before he could hold his own in a lab situation.

Naturally Abby offered to help, and just as naturally he accepted her offer. They worked together in his apartment, stopping only to eat some take-out and make a fresh pot of coffee. After four hours staring at the screen Abby leaned over to kiss Tim's cheek. "You've seriously lost me now Tim, I don't think I can even help you by asking questions, you're way outside my comfort zone."

He put his arm round her shoulders. "I'm pretty much at the limits of my knowledge too, it's why I have to keep working at this, I only have three days to get up to speed with this technology, and the case."

"You let us take care of the case for a few days." She snuggled closer. "Tim...you'll be good at this, I know you will. All this..." She gestured toward the monitor. "It's as natural to you as breathing, when you start work at Inanna, you will be brilliant, I know it."

He leaned in to kiss her, and the way she responded to his touch had him forgetting all about jetpacks, computers and even Lieutenant Preston.

When they came up for air Abby was smiling. "Think I can persuade you to have a break from all this, just for a little while?"

Tim shook his head, a slight smile hovering on his lips. "I have so much catching up to do, not sure I can spare the time."

"Oh, I think you can; if you remember, when I set my mind to something, I can be very persuasive..."

NCIS NCIS

Tim was already at his desk when Ziva and Tony appeared; he looked up and gave a warm smile. "Morning guys. It's a fine morning, don't you think?"

"Told you Ziva! That's twenty bucks you owe me."

"Not until I am certain. McGee, look at me." Tim did as he was told and Ziva reached into her pocket. "You are correct Tony; McGee did not spend all night at his computer."

As two ten dollar bills were handed over, Tim blushed. "Hey! You two, that's just...wrong. Taking bets on..."

"Knock it off Probie, you and our own Mistress of the Dark got it on last night, don't try to deny it."

Tony half flinched, waiting for the head slap; but Gibbs still hadn't appeared. "Where's the Boss?"

"In with the Director, seems the FBI is interested in making this a joint operation."

Tony's laugh echoed round the squad room. "No way is Gibbs going to let that happen."

"I don't know Tony; they have surveillance capabilities we can only dream of."

"Maybe Tim, but they don't have our SuperGeek."

"Indeed they do not Tony. We should get to work, there is much to do. McGee, is there anything you need, coffee, a doughnut…?"

With one of his trademark grins Tony took his seat. "I think McLover got everything he needed last night….Ow! Boss, how the heck do you do that?" Tony rubbed the back of his neck ruefully.

"That's need to know Tony; and what I need to know right now is that my team is working on the Preston case. If we're going to keep the FBI out of this we have to stay on top of things, you hear me?"

Gibbs smiled as three voices answered in unison. "On it Boss!"


	3. Chapter 3

8

Author's Note: I apologise for my tardiness in posting a new chapter, a sprained finger followed by a bout of illness has kept me away from my computer.

**Chapter Three**

It was lunchtime on Sunday when Gibbs called everyone together. "Tim, you've done enough for the day, go get Abby, take her to lunch; have the rest of the day together."

"I'm good Boss; I should really do some more work on the CAD software." Tim didn't even comment on Gibbs' assumption that he'd want to spend his last day for some time as Timothy McGee with Abby. He'd discovered over the last two days that whatever plans they'd had of keeping their burgeoning relationship quiet had failed spectacularly. "Abby's taking me to dinner later; I can work 'til then."

Gibbs shook his head. "You want to make a good impression at Inanna, not likely you'll do that if you fall asleep at your computer on your first day."

"True Boss, and I do still have a few things I need to move into Mason's apartment."

"Then get on that, but don't forget..."

"Don't worry Boss; I won't take Abby with me."

"Okay, get out of here; just remember the protocols, and if anything gets hinky, you pull out. You hear Tim?"

"Loud and clear." Tim logged off his computer, picked up his gear and took a few paces; he halted at Tony's desk. "Thanks for everything you've done the last few days, giving up your weekend; you too Ziva."

Tony shrugged. "Nothing you wouldn't have done for us Tim."

"Sure but..."

"It is what we do McGee, for our team." Ziva got up from her desk and gave Tim a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful, and do not let them woo you away from us with their jetpack charms."

"Not going to happen Ziva, don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to seeing what Inanna does, but NCIS, here with you, it's where I belong."

"You'd better get going, before we all start hugging. Go on, I'm pretty sure the lovely Ms Sciuto is waiting for you." Tony got up and went to shake Tim's hand, thought better of it and grabbed his friend in a bear hug. "First sign of trouble; you call it."

"I will Tony, Abby already made me promise; I'll keep in touch like we planned. See you." Tim gave a quick wave and headed for the elevator and Abby's lab.

Gibbs couldn't ignore the gnawing in his gut, he was always this way at the start of an operation; and this time he was even more anxious that everything was planned down to the last detail. Tim would do fine, he was ready for undercover and this assignment was the perfect fit for him. Didn't mean Gibbs had to be happy about one of his team being out of contact for long periods of time, and inside a place that could have contributed to the death of an air force pilot. They had spent some of the weekend going over the protocols for communication during the assignment.

Tim and Abby had set up email accounts in the names of Tyler Mason and Alison Stearman; Abby would take on the Alison persona as Tyler's absentee girlfriend, giving him the perfect excuse to email her with information on his new job. They had settled on a series of key phrases he would use as and when he needed to actually pass on information to another team member; they'd decided against Tim communicating with the team electronically. Given the level of encryption Preston was using it was clear they would be dealing with people who had highly developed computer skills. If that was the case, and if they were suspicious of newcomers, Tyler Mason would already be front and centre on their radar, and if they hacked into Tim's home or work computer Gibbs wanted them to come up empty handed.

Given the precautions they were taking Tim's cover should hold, but...Gibbs picked up the file on his desk. "Okay, we have work to do, Background checks on Inanna employees still have to be finished, and I want to go over the Preston file one more time; there could be something we missed."

Tony and Ziva went back to work with renewed purpose, anything and everything they could find might help Tim, and for that reason they were prepared to work as many hours as necessary.

NCIS NCIS

"But Tim, it's early; we could go back to your place for a little while."

"Abs, there's really nothing I'd like more than to spend time with you, but I have to get to Mason's apartment, get the last of my stuff unpacked."

Abby sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. They'd decided to eat in a quiet bistro not far from Tim's apartment and the booth offered them privacy, a chance to feel like they were alone even in a room full of people. "You could go straight to Inanna from home."

He shook his head. "We've talked about this. I told Inanna I was moving into my new place this weekend and I had to give them my...Tyler's address for their records. If, and it's a big if, someone is watching the place it's best I head out to work from his apartment." Tim smiled and put his arm round her waist. "Guess I have to get used to calling it my apartment."

Abby snuggled closer. "You know...I could come with you, stay the night..."

"Please Abs, don't tempt me. You know the cover story, you helped write it."

"I should have had Tyler's girlfriend living with him."

Tim kissed her, a kiss full of love and longing. "I wish that had been possible, but Tyler has to have someone he can email with all his news, and a girlfriend out in San Diego fits the bill."

"You're right, it's just...I'll miss you so much."

"Believe me Abs, I'm going to miss you too, but at least you'll have the others to talk to; seems like they know all about us."

She giggled and linked her arm through his. "Guess we were pretty stupid trying to keep anything from Gibbs."

"Yeah, like you say, he always knows...what surprised me was that Tony and Ziva knew too...I'd been working so hard on my poker face; need to do better at Inanna."

"You'll do great Tim, just come back safe."

"I'm going to work real hard on that Abs; we've still got a lot of catching up to do."

NCIS NCIS

"I think we're done with the paperwork Tyler, now I'm guessing you'd like to get a look at the place."

Tim tried his hardest not to act like an eager puppy, but he was probably failing, judging by the look on Miriam Lockhart's face. "Is it that obvious?"

"Oh yes, but it's not a problem. I'm always delighted to have another enthusiast on board. Come with me, David's already called twice to hurry along your induction process; he wants to get you up to speed as soon as possible."

Miriam handed Tim his ID badge. "This will give you access to all areas Tyler, keep it safe."

"You got it." Tim pinned the badge to his lapel and followed Miriam. He hadn't seen the lab at his interview but David Oster had been on the panel. Oster was the Technical Director at Inanna and he'd kept Tim on his toes throughout the interview, asking a number of difficult questions. Tim had obviously answered to Oster's satisfaction, and the Technical Director gave Tim a warm smile as Miriam led him into the lab.

"Tyler, welcome to what I like to think of as the heart and soul of Inanna. The flyboys may get all the glamour but this is where jetpacks really happen."

Tim was already transfixed, his eyes darting everywhere, Miriam grinned. "I see my presence is no longer required; I'm sure David will look after you, good luck Tyler."

Tim spent the rest of the day being introduced to the other members of the technical staff and having a comprehensive guided tour of the systems he would be using in his new job. He was attentive to everything he was told, and he was genuinely enthusiastic about the work being done at Inanna; but he never forgot the real reason he was working there. He paid special attention to the people he met during the course of the day. They all seemed like good people who were doing exciting and potentially important work; but one or more of them most likely contributed to the death of an air force pilot, and if there was a conspiracy of some sort Tim was determined to root out the guilty party.

Tim was pretty tired by the time he got back to Tyler's apartment, and by the time he'd heated up a frozen lasagne he was already yawning. There had been so much to take in at work; not just the technicalities of his new job, but the personalities of the people he'd be working with for as long as the assignment lasted.

After he'd eaten he sent a quick email to 'Alison', giving her the bare outline of his day. Tim then sat down to write some notes on his first impressions of the people he'd met. Aside from a couple of snide remarks from a lab technician and a computer analyst who felt Inanna already had enough people working on the jetpack project, everyone had gone out of their way to make him feel welcome. He was smiling as he wrote, knowing Tony would have some wiseass comment or some new nickname; McBiro most likely. Most people in NCIS knew of Tim's aversion to paper so it was ironic that he was sitting at his dining table painstakingly writing out his notes rather than entering them at breakneck speed on his computer. Gibbs had insisted they keep things old school, and slow as the process was Tim could see the sense in staying away from computers; until they knew exactly what they were dealing with, caution was the watchword.

NCIS NCIS

Tim's first full day in the lab made him very glad he'd spent so many hours cramming on the new CAD software. The pace David Oster set was frantic, but no one worked harder than the Technical Director, and as far as Tim could see everyone was happy to go along with him. At least he thought that was the case until he heard two techs in the coffee area. Cheryl Dukes and Jad Hudson were unaware of Tim's presence or he was sure they wouldn't have talked about Oster the way they did.

"He's like a man possessed; it's about time he figured out we're not going to be ready for the inspection."

"You know he won't listen. I've tried to tell him; I showed him the last test flight results, hoped he'd see sense, but he's stubborn as a mule. Damn it! We've come so far, why won't he give us the time we need?"

"Hey Tyler, you need something?"

"Just coffee Cheryl; looks like we're in for a long day."

"Get used to it, that's the only kind David understands."

By the time he'd poured his coffee, Cheryl and Jad were gone, so, not everything in the lab was as it seemed. If Oster worked his people at this pace all the time, there was always the possibility a disgruntled worker would try…what? Sabotage maybe, or industrial espionage, even murder. Tim finished his coffee and was back at his computer before David Oster had noticed he'd been gone. Before long he was absorbed in his work, fine-tuning a modification to the throttle. It was only when he heard a hollow growl from his stomach that Tim realised how long he'd been working. He glanced at his watch, 7.30, no wonder he was hungry.

"David, any chance we could send out for pizza or something; I'm guessing we've got more work to do."

David looked up from the screen. "Darn it, I wanted an early finish tonight." He stood up and raised his voice. "Listen everyone, the time's run away from me again. Tyler's reminded me we all have to eat; go home. We have an important day tomorrow, I want you all to get some rest."

There was a flurry of activity as the technicians logged off their computers. Oster reluctantly did the same and turned to Tim. "Tyler, I know this is a lot to ask, you being new here and all, only…you know we have a test flight tomorrow; I'd like incorporate your changes to the throttle. Would you mind coming in early to help with the adjustments, then come watch the flight?"

It took Tim at least twenty seconds to compute what David was asking him, it just didn't seem possible. "You want me…? Are you sure?"

David was smiling. "I could use a fresh pair of eyes, feels like I'm missing something, maybe if you watch the flight, then help me check the data, you'll see something I've been missing."

"I'll sure do my best; what time do you want me here?"

Tim hadn't blinked when David asked him to be at the lab for 5am; he'd have worked through the night for the chance to watch the test flight up close and personal.

As he drove home Tim couldn't keep a broad smile off his face. When the team had worked the Sayers murder and Gibbs had given him the lead he'd had to pass up on the opportunity of visiting Tillman Air and getting a look inside their lab. He'd been bitterly disappointed at the time, but now; what he had was so much better, working undercover and working on jetpacks, he really was living the dream.

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	4. Chapter 4

9

Tim had spent his night in the state of delighted excitement that was more usual in a child on Christmas Eve. He tried to relax and eventually managed to get some sleep so he wasn't too tired for what was likely to be a long day.

He'd arrived at the lab just before five, and wasn't surprised to find David Oster already at his computer.

"Hey Tyler, thanks for coming in, I've just been going over your plans, they look good. Aidan Tooley, one of our engineers will be here soon and we can get started on the modifications."

The three men worked together, and just before 7.30 Tooley declared himself satisfied. "You know Tyler, I think this is going to work, and with the extra control over the throttle our pilot will have a better chance of the take-off being smooth."

"Thanks Aidan, the test will show us for sure, but I'm hoping for the best." Tim had enjoyed working on the actual jetpack; 3D computer imaging was great for experimenting with ideas, but nothing could substitute for the real thing. Literally being able to get his hands on a machine that could propel a man into the air had been a thrill he'd never expected to experience. However, he hadn't lost sight of why he was at Inanna and he'd been careful to watch what everyone was doing; so far there didn't seem to be anything untoward. Tim knew he had to be extra vigilant during the test, there'd be a lot of new faces around and he'd need to be sure to note any names that might warrant further investigation.

By 08.30 they were out at the test site and Tim was keeping a careful watch on everyone and everything, at least as much as he could. Instead of the four or five people he'd been working with in the lab, there were fifteen people milling around the area.

Everything was ready for the flight and Tim was setting up his laptop ready to record the flight data when he heard someone approach.

"Hey Tyler, David tells me you're already coming up with new ideas."

"Morning Mr Elwood, just hope the idea pans out." Tim shook hands with Saul Elwood. "You have a good trip sir?"

Elwood gave a short laugh. "Saul is fine Tyler, when someone calls me Mr Elwood I always look around to see if my dad's in the room. The trip..." Elwood shrugged. "Endless meetings, seems like I haven't seen daylight since Saturday, it's good to be outside. Looks like David's all ready to go, I'll talk to you later."

Tim settled back at his computer and felt a flutter of excitement in his gut as Derek Pascoe; Inanna's test pilot was strapped into his harness. This was it, the flight was about to begin, he checked the computer quickly; everything was running as it should, so he was able to concentrate on the flight and on the other spectators.

Trying his best not to focus all of his attention on the flight Tim noticed two people engaged in deep conversation, they were standing a little apart from the main group and somewhat surprisingly they had their backs to the flight. Tim recognised Jad Hudson, a graduate student who was working on a paper he hoped to publish in _Scientific American. _The woman he was with Tim didn't know, and there was no way he could take a picture; he'd have to try and wangle an introduction later, add her name to the list for Gibbs and the others.

Derek Pascoe powered down the jetpack and made a smooth landing, there was a round of applause from the spectators and Tim had a broad smile on his face. Everything had gone even better than planned and Inanna could chalk up another successful test flight. He backed up all the data to a thumb drive and powered down his computer.

"So Tim, what do you think?"

"It was okay I guess." Tim gave a mock shrug but he couldn't keep up the pretence and his smile got even wider. "Seriously David? It was absolutely amazing; the only thing better than this would be actually flying one of those things."

Oster clapped his hand on Tim's shoulder. "Who knows Tyler? As the saying goes; never say never. Now, let's leave Aidan and his guys to pack everything away here. I want to get back to the lab right away and start working on the data."

"I'm ready when you are."

They spent the rest of the day analysing the data; Tim had a few ideas for improving the pack and he stayed late mapping them on the computer. He left Inanna just before 9pm, quietly content with his day's work. He hadn't simply come up with a real improvement to the throttle; he'd also been able to come up with a name for the woman he'd seen talking with Jad Hudson. Saul Elwood told Tim she'd been interviewed at the same time as Jad for the student post; Kathryn Gardiner had been unsuccessful, but she remained on good terms with Hudson and Sean didn't have any objection to her tagging along with him to watch the test flight.

Tim wasn't so sure she was as innocent as she seemed and when he got home he quickly composed his regular email to 'Ali', this time he included one of their key phrases. 'I've found a great coffee shop, just like the one back home."

If everything went to plan one of the team would be in the coffee shop near Tyler's apartment when Tim visited the next day.

NCIS NCIS

Tim hadn't finished writing his notes until after midnight; luckily he'd fallen asleep right away and had slept through until his alarm sounded. At 7.30am he was finishing his drink in the local Caribou Coffee, he folded up his newspaper, left it on the table and stood up ready to leave; Ziva walked by and glanced at the paper.

"Excuse me, are you done with this?"

Tim smiled. "Yeah, sure, take it." He carried on walking, headed out to the parking lot and got into his car. He saw Ziva sitting at the table he'd vacated, flicking through the newspaper, she would soon finish her own coffee and head back to NCIS armed with today's _Washington Post_ and several pages of handwritten notes.

As Tim accelerated away he felt a slight pang; much as he was relishing his assignment, he would have enjoyed going to the Navy Yard, running the searches and spending time with Abby and the others. It wasn't to be, not until he'd completed this operation and it only took a few seconds to get back into his 'Tyler' persona.

NCIS NCIS

He was soon well into the swing of lab work, David had come up with some new ideas he wanted them to get working on right away.

"You see Tyler, right here? If we adjust the air intake in the duct, alongside the new throttle control you've given us I'm thinking..."

"Quicker vertical thrust."

David grinned, it was so good to have someone who was on his own wavelength, with so many other assistants he'd had to explain every single step, but Tyler seemed like a perfect fit, it was like he could almost read his mind. They set up the new protocols and by mid afternoon they were ready to test the modifications.

David gave a shrill whistle reminiscent of Gibbs bringing his team to attention; everyone stopped what they were doing. "Aidan's got everything set up in the flight simulator, I want each and every second of the flight recorded, we have a DoD inspection coming up and we can't afford to miss anything."

By the time the test was done most members of the lab team were fighting to keep their eyes open. The Technical Director was proud of the way his technicians handled the simulation, everything had gone well and the data was being processed, the results wouldn't be finalised until morning so he sent everyone home, except Tim. David had been talking with Derek Pascoe and now there was something he wanted to ask his latest recruit.

"Hey Tyler, you ready to head home?"

"I'm good David, maybe some of the figures will be ready soon, and...well, I don't have anyone to hurry home to."

"Me either." David sat down beside Tim. "I noticed you yesterday, the look in your eyes when you were watching the flight."

Tim blushed a little. "I thought I'd done a pretty good job of staying professional."

"Oh you did Tyler, you did a great job, but I'm enough of a jetpack nut that I can recognise another one when I see him. So, if you don't have to hurry home, how would you like to try out the simulator, get a taste of what it feels like to fly?"

Not even attempting to hide his delight Tim gave a broad smile, then he took a breath. "You're not kidding with me David? You really mean..."

"I wouldn't kid over something like this; I've always been too..." David patted his ample stomach. "Let's just say I don't fulfil the weight criteria, but you should be fine; come on, Aidan's waiting for us and Derek agreed to guide you through. What are you waiting for? Let's do it."

NCIS NCIS

Lying in his bed and trying to calm down so he could get some sleep, Tim reflected on one of the most amazing experiences of his life. He'd barely left the ground, and he didn't actually fly, but being strapped into the simulator and experiencing all the sensations that would come with real flight had almost taken his breath away.

Pascoe had taken him through the controls and explained some of the difficulties inherent in jetpack flight, and the first few times he'd tried to fly Tim had come to earth with a bump, least he would have done if he had taken off. After a few bumpy rides Tim had begun to get the hang of things and soon he was feeling as if he was king of the world. Derek had been grinning as he helped Tim out of the harness at the end of the session.

"You look like a natural to me Ty, hard to believe this was your first time; hey, do you mind if I call you Ty?"

"Like my grandmother always used to say, call me what you want, just don't call me too late."

"Good one! I'll have to remember that. We'll schedule a few more simulator sessions for you; don't know why I hadn't thought of it before, but it would be good is at least one of you lab guys had a feel for what the jetpack's really like in operation."

Tim nodded in vigorous agreement. Derek was right, experiencing for himself the range of motion and the feel of flight was infinitely better than watching 3D images on a monitor. So long as he kept his eye on his ultimate goal, Tim was happy to help the development of the jetpack any way he could, and if he got to taste what flying was like, so much the better.

NCIS NCIS

After finally getting off to sleep around 2am Tim was back at Inanna by 7.30, it felt like there was so much to do he shouldn't waste time sitting around at home. He pushed open the door to the lab and was surprised by two things, one, he'd beaten David to work, and two, Lucy Brogan was in there. She was an admin assistant who worked with Miriam Lockhart, Tim was pretty sure this was the first time he'd seen her in one of the technical areas.

With a hurried. "Oh, hi Tyler, I...I was looking for Sean." She headed towards the door.

Her quick downward glance told Tim she was lying; and he hadn't seen Cullen's car in the parking lot when he arrived, but he put on a smile and shrugged. "Haven't seen him, if I do, you want me to let him know you're looking for him?"

Lucy blushed. "No...no thank you, it isn't urgent, I'll catch him later." She hurried down the corridor and Tim was left alone.

He checked the lab, but he couldn't see anything out of place and the computers were all switched off; nonetheless, there was something hinky about Lucy being here, looked like he had another name to add to the list for NCIS.

David came in a few minutes later, full of ideas for some changes to the ducts. They worked together the rest of the day, inputting the changes into the design program, collecting the new data from the previous day's simulation, and if he could Tim asked a few seemingly innocuous questions about Kathryn Gardiner and Lucy Brogan, mostly people thought he was checking out to see whether they were single and Tim didn't bother to correct them.

It was in the coffee room late in the afternoon that Miriam took him to one side. "Tyler, I know you probably have plans already, I'm so late asking you, I can't believe I forgot."

Tim waited, and when Miriam remained silent he asked. "What did you forget?"

She smacked her palm against her forehead. "See, I'm doing it again, I get sidetracked so easily. We have a tradition...well, it's the second year we've done it, a barbecue for Labor Day. Everyone is invited, family members too, so if you don't have plans you're more than welcome."

It only took Tim a second or two to decide attending the barbecue would be an excellent idea. It would give him an unlooked for opportunity to get to know the Inanna personnel better, and maybe just as important, he could get to know their families too.

"Sounds great Miriam, I wasn't looking forward to spending the day alone."

"You're welcome to bring someone Tyler, like I said, family members too."

Tim shook his head. "My family's down in Florida, and my girlfriend...she's out in San Diego, we didn't want her to move out here until I know the job's permanent."

Miriam caught the wistful tone in his voice. "You miss her?"

"Oh yeah, I really do."

The remainder of Tim's day had been spent fine-tuning the throttle adjustments and discussing with Aidan the new duct settings, they'd decided to arrange some new tests for Tuesday. Tim went home happy, and after writing up his notes on the day's events he managed to get eight hours sleep.

NCIS NCIS

Tim sipped his coffee, enjoying a little Saturday morning leisure time; he'd have willingly gone into Inanna but Sean had insisted everyone enjoy the long holiday weekend.

"We work hard, and we put in long hours, take three days, kick back, spend time with your families. Make the most of it everyone, because once we start work again Tuesday it will likely be non-stop until the DoD inspection. Go people, before I change my mind."

So now, Tim was sitting in his apartment deciding what to do with his day, the intercom sounded and with a slightly puzzled expression he pressed the button, and smiled as a familiar voice called out. "Cable guy!"

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	5. Chapter 5

10

**Chapter Five**

Tim opened the door and grinned at the sight of Tony in pale blue decaled coveralls. "Seriously, they couldn't get a better cover for you than a cable guy? You barely know your coaxial cable from your Scart lead."

Tony breezed into the apartment with an unapologetic smile. "I don't have to know what I'm doing, just have to look the part; and you have to admit not many people could carry off this ensemble."

With a quick check that no one was on the landing outside, Tim closed the door and turned to Tony. "Never thought I'd say this, but you're a sight for sore eyes."

"Good to see you McRocketboy." He opened up his toolbox and took out a small cardboard carton. "Abby sent this, she said I was to tell you...and I'm only doing this because she could kill me without leaving any forensic evidence. I'm to tell you this is a kiss in a carton, and you're to have this on account until she sees you again."

Bowing theatrically Tony handed the box to Tim who laughed aloud when he saw the frosted chocolate cupcake inside. "She's never going to let me forget that, is she?"

"Hey, the way I see it, you're still in one piece; given what she could have done..."

Tim smiled and placed the carton on the kitchen counter. "How is she...all of you?" He blushed a little as Tony grinned at the faltering question.

""We're good; Abby...what do you think? She misses you, every time she has a spare minute she's up in the squad room sitting at your desk."

"I miss her too; miss being part of the team."

Tony knew that feeling only too well. "Tough being out there on your own isn't it?"

"Yeah." Tim nodded. "But I wouldn't change anything, going undercover...I've waited so long Tony, and I think I'm doing an okay job so far."

"Gibbs does too; we've got some possible leads from the names you gave us; that's why I'm here."

They spent the next hour looking over the notes Gibbs had sent. Tony made coffee while Tim concentrated on reading. Tim was a little disappointed there wasn't more from cyber crimes; looked like Preston's encryptions were going to take time to crack.

Tony set Tim's cup down on the table. "You watch out for Hudson, he had some pretty wild roommates at college and it seems like he's still in contact with them."

"Wonder if they took their memberships of the Anarchist Coalition seriously...sometimes at college people join these groups to impress others, maybe a girl."

"Like Kathryn Gardiner; she went to the same college; just watch out for him, her too. If they were serious about their politics, a company like Inanna could be a soft target for sabotage, and don't forget a man has already been killed, people who've killed once..."

"I'll be careful Tony. I have another name for you, Lucy Brogan."

"We'll get on it; any particular reason to look at her?"

"She was somewhere she didn't need to be, just felt wrong."

"No problema, anything else?"

"Not right now; did you manage to find out about Sean's trip?"

"Oh yeah, looked above board, he was meeting with potential investors; didn't look like he had any time to get up to anything hinky."

Tim drained his cup, he was pleased Sean Elwood looked to be on the straight and narrow, he liked the man, and would have hated it if he'd been trying to harm his own company by sabotaging the jetpack project.

Tony gave Tim a quick tap on the shoulder. "Hey; it's time I was going, if anyone is watching I don't want to outstay a cable guy's welcome."

"Sure you don't want another cup?" Tim knew Tony had to leave, he just wished it didn't have to be so soon.

Tony picked up the new batch of notes Tim had written up and put them in his toolbox. "I'm not Gibbs Tim; one cup every two hours is enough for me. Looks like you're doing okay at Inanna, you enjoying undercover?"

With a quick smile Tim whispered. "More than I should I guess, it's just..."

"Admit it, you're in geek heaven."

"Pretty much. Did Abby tell you I even got to do a simulator flight?"

"She did, more than once; she was in early for a Saturday, and you know what she's like after her second Caf-Pow."

"Hyper?"

"Don't you know it; okay, I think I'm all squared away." Tony picked up his toolbox and walked to the door; as he reached for the handle he turned to Tim. "You watch your back Tim, we'll do everything we can on the outside, but you're on your own in there. You know what Gibbs would tell you; if it gets hinky..."

"I'll call it Tony."

"Then we're good; see you around Tim." He held up his toolbox. "I have more customers to visit." Tony opened the door and stepped onto the landing. "You have a good day Mr Mason; you have my card if there's a problem."

Tim watched a little wistfully as Tony headed to the elevator, he went back inside and smiled again as he saw the cake on the counter; he'd get to that later when his chores were done.

The rest of his weekend was spent shopping, doing his laundry; all the usual things a single man living alone might be expected to do. He emailed 'Ali', but in truth he had nothing new to say, although he did get in a thank you for his cupcake, just had to be sure to phrase it so no one intercepting the message would know her gift had arrived via the cable guy.

Late on Sunday he got a message from her, she told him their friend Tony's new girl seemed like a pretty cool lady, though they didn't know her that well. As he read it he nodded slightly, it was one of their agreed phrases to indicate that a search subject looked clean so far, but that all possible avenues of investigation hadn't yet been explored. Lucy was in the clear right now, but there was some reason she'd been in the lab Friday morning, maybe he'd find out more at the barbecue.

NCIS NCIS

Labor Day dawned bright and clear, and as Tim got ready for the barbecue he felt the anticipation growing, this was his first opportunity to see his new colleagues 'off duty' and he was hoping to learn a lot more about them. He had asked Miriam if there was anything he needed to bring to the barbecue but she told him Inanna would pay for everything, all he had to do was turn up and have a good time. Tim knew very well that wasn't his only order of business, for him this would be a working day like any other.

Three hours later Tim's head was spinning with new names and faces, he felt like he'd been introduced to half the population of Maryland. He had taken advantage of a quiet moment to sit in the shade with his cup of fruit punch and spent a little while consigning to memory the new people he'd met. The family members of Inanna staff seemed just as friendly and open as most of the people he worked with; nonetheless he was careful to keep as many people in view as he could at any one time.

"Tyler! We're getting teams together for softball, you going to join us?" Sean beckoned from the drinks table and Tim got to his feet reluctantly; sports had never been his strong suit.

"Come on Ty, don't be shy; hey, I'm a poet!" Derek Pascoe was throwing a ball from hand to hand, looking every inch the jock who would have been best friends with Tony.

"Not being shy, I'll join, but you should know I was usually the last one to be picked whenever a team was being chosen in school."

Derek grinned. "Couldn't matter less, this is just for fun, it's a holiday Ty, lighten up."

The game had not only been fun, it had been enlightening too; seeing these people out of the work environment had put a lot of flesh on the bones of what he already knew.

Sean Elwood and Derek Pascoe captained the two teams and were every bit as competitive on the sports field as they were in their professional lives. David Oster didn't play but he proved to be a great umpire, keeping all the players in check yet allowing the game to flow and above all, let it be fun.

Tim had been most surprised by the contrasting attitudes of Aidan Tooley and Jad Hudson. Despite his strict demeanour when he was in control of his workshop Tooley was laid back, strolling around the field as if he didn't have a care in the world. Hudson on the other hand was wound up tight, every action intense and focussed as if he was playing for a Major League baseball team, rather than an informal softball game in Cabin John Park.

Sean had really done his employees proud; he'd hired the group picnic area for the day and everyone had been enjoying the facilities on offer. There was a desultory game of horseshoes taking place, another group was making use of the volleyball court, and a number of people were sitting in the shade watching the various activities. Miriam and her husband had taken charge of the catering and judging by the delicious aromas coming from the barbecue grills they'd all be eating real soon.

"Softball sure works up an appetite Tyler."

Tim couldn't help smiling. "Umpiring must take it out of you David, concentrating on every ball like you do..."

"Okay, you got me. Truth is I love my food, and eating outdoors, on a day like this surrounded by friends, just seems to make everything taste better."

"Miriam sure knows how to put on a great barbecue, her husband seems like a good guy."

David glanced over to the grills where Miriam and Vince Lockhart were still serving. "One of the best; Miriam's had some problems, he stood by her and now...she's stronger than ever and he's become part of the Inanna family; he even came in to help with her admin work when she was sick."

Tim sat up a little, this was new. "Doesn't he have a job?"

"He's a freelance financial consultant, more or less works when he wants."

Tim gave a low whistle. "It must be pretty good to work that way, although in your case you'd most likely still spend every waking hour in the lab."

Holding his hands aloft in mock surrender David smiled. "You got me; can't help it Tyler, this job is a dream come true for me."

"Me too; I never imagined it could be fun going to work, and seeing everyone out here having such a great time together..."

"Like I said, we're family, and you're a part of that now."

Tim hoped he wasn't blushing because all of a sudden he felt like a fraud, like he was betraying the trust of the people who had given him the job. David didn't notice Tim's sudden change of mood; he was looking longingly at the grills.

"Looks like the next batch of steaks are about ready, you want one?"

Tim shook his head. "I'm good, think I'll take a walk before I tackle any more food."

David picked up his plate and joined the swiftly forming line at the grills. Tim looked around with a sigh, he really hoped none of these people was responsible for Lieutenant Preston's death, they had gone out of their way to make him welcome and he didn't want to see one of them dragged away in handcuffs. He took a slow stroll around the perimeter of the picnic area; the horseshoe pits and volleyball court were quiet as most adults were either eating or resting after their food; the ballfield had been taken over by youngsters who never seemed to require rest, even after a hearty meal.

He had almost decided to head back for another cup of punch when he noticed a young boy sitting alone by the trunk of a tall tree.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" There was no answer so Tim moved a little closer and took a good look at the boy. He was fair and skinny, to Tim's eyes way too skinny, or perhaps he'd just gone through one of those growth spurts, when the flesh and muscle hadn't caught up with the bones. He didn't look to be more than ten years old, and he looked lonely...Tim knew what that felt like, he'd never found it easy to make friends and every time his dad received a new posting he'd had to start the painful process all over again. "You mind if I sit here?" His only answer was a shrug of the shoulders. He hunkered down beside the boy and for a few minutes he sat in silence, content to let the youngster make the first move.

"Why are you here?"

Tim could barely hear the whisper above the good natured cries coming from the ballfield. "I heard there was free food to be had; it's good food too, have you tried it?"

Another shrug. "Not hungry." This statement was followed by a loud growling sound from the boy's stomach. Tim looked at the boy with a smile, raised his eyebrows and was rewarded with quickly stifled giggle.

"You want to reconsider your answer, and how about you tell me your name? I'm Ti...Tyler."

"Richie; and I guess...maybe a burger wouldn't be so bad."

"Good to meet you Richie. How about we walk over together? I could use another drink."

Tim got up and helped Richie to his feet; the young boy brushed a few leaves from his jeans and looked up at Tim. "Are you...do you fly the jetpacks?"

"Not me; I wish I did, but the pilot is over there, the guy in the red baseball cap. You like jetpacks Richie?"

"They're the coolest thing ever! When I'm old enough I'm going to fly far away from...from here."

Tim noted the hesitation, but he didn't have time to ask Richie any questions because Lucy Brogan was heading in their direction.

"Richie! Where have you been? I've been looking all over." She held out her hand and with a slight hesitation Richie put his hand in hers.

"I was just over there Mom, talking with Tyler."

Tim could see Richie was hoping for some support so he smiled at Lucy. "We've been having a long talk about jetpacks, seems Richie's almost as big a fan as I am. Hey, if your mom doesn't mind, how about you come visit Inanna one day, I could show you round, let you take a look at a real jetpack."

Richie immediately turned to his mother, his eyes full of hope. Lucy glanced at Tim. "Are you sure he wouldn't be in the way?"

"Absolutely; how about I check with David and if he gives the okay Richie can come visit."

Lucy took a quick look over at the picnic tables before she answered. "Okay, if David gives permission Richie can go, I...we have to go now, thanks Tyler."

Richie followed his mom reluctantly, giving Tim a quick wave as he went; they were met by a tall, muscular man with a severe Marine haircut, he didn't look to be in the holiday spirit. Tim hadn't been introduced to this guy, he would be sure to mention him in his email to Abby. The way Richie behaved today told Tim that all was not well with the youngster, and if his dad...or whoever the guy may be, was the problem Tim was determined to find out what was going on. Maybe while he was doing that he'd also find out why Lucy was in the lab Friday morning.

He turned back to the ballfield, ready to play his part in the second game of the day; there were so many new dynamics to consider. Tim knew by the time he got home, emailed his girl and wrote out his latest batch of notes; he was in for another late night. It couldn't matter less; the more he got to know the people at Inanna, the more determined he became to find out who was prepared to damage the company, and in the process to take a man's life.

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	6. Chapter 6

10

Sean Elwood was as good as his word, he promised them there would be hard work and lots of it, and hard work there was. After the wonderful day they'd all shared at the barbecue the Inanna team barely had time to get away from their work except to go home in order to grab some sleep.

Tim had managed to make time to write out some notes for Gibbs with two important requests for the team. One; that they look into Lucy Brogan's current domestic circumstances; he'd discovered that her husband was a Marine and had been killed in Afghanistan the previous year; Tim needed to know the identity of the guy at the barbecue. The second thing he wanted was for them to take a good look at Vince Lockhart's business dealings, the financial sector had taken a lot of hits recently and if Lockhart was having money troubles maybe he went looking for other ways of supplementing his income.

In his email to 'Ali' late Tuesday night Tim had inserted another of their key phrases. 'We're all having an early start again tomorrow, just hope I have time to collect my dry cleaning.'

Tim had been a little surprised to see Ned Dorneget behind the counter of SupaClean, he handed over a ticket and Ned reached for a plastic hanger from the rail behind him. There was no one else in the store, and with a quick glance at the door he whispered. "Agent Gibbs left something for you in the pocket, and he said to tell you cyber crimes got a name; a Navy Captain. They think maybe it's Lieutenant Preston's contact, they've driven down to Norfolk to talk with him, that's why I'm here."

"Good to see you Ned. I'd better get out of here, I don't think anyone's interested in following me but I don't want to take any chances." Tim slid Tyler's credit card across the counter along with two pages of notes, he'd folded them over and over so the paper was almost credit card size. Ned gave a quick smile, completed the payment transaction and pocketed the notes.

Tim picked up the jacket, hurried out of the store and made his way to Inanna. There was no time to read the notes Gibbs had left for him until David's team broke for a late lunch. Tim volunteered to get everyone's lunch orders so he'd have a few moments alone to read, as he waited at the deli for the sandwiches he quickly scanned the notes.

Abby had been digging into Jad Hudson's background, but so far she had made little progress; some of his old friends were so deep underground Gibbs had resorted to calling Fornell and asking if the FBI had anything on the Anarchist Coalition that might help; Fornell had promised to look into it but they hadn't heard anything further. Tim sighed, he had become convinced that Hudson was into something more than an article for an academic journal; the young man was so driven, so intense, always on edge. Tim would continue to watch him closely and await further news from the team.

Gibbs had noted the name of the man they were on the way to interview, Captain Philip Dylan, currently stationed at Norfolk Naval Station. Their searches hadn't uncovered any links between Dylan and Preston other than one encrypted email, so Gibbs wanted an interview; he always preferred face to face conversation. There was a message in Abby's handwriting telling him to be careful, and that she missed seeing him every day.

"Miss you too Abs." Tim whispered it low, but the sentiment was sincere.

"Tyler Mason!" The barista called out his name; Tim collected the sandwiches from the counter and made ready to step back into his Inanna persona.

NCIS NCIS

Tim was deep in a new computer design program when he became aware of someone standing beside him.

"Hey Ty, am I glad you're here, listen man, I have a huge favour to ask."

"Ask away Derek, if I have time I'll be happy to help."

Derek Pascoe flopped into a chair and held up a buff envelope. "I've been summoned to a mandatory drug test, I have to be in Annapolis by 17.00."

"But...we have the new simulation to run." They'd all worked so hard on the latest modifications and David wanted the test run today so Aidan Tooley's team would have an extra day to work on the actual jetpack.

"I know Ty, that's why I came to you, how about you take another turn in the simulator?"

Tim didn't need to be asked twice. "Just try stopping me, oh..."

"Is there a problem Tyler?" David Oster had been listening to the conversation; he was hoping Tyler would take over from Derek, he really didn't want to wait another day for the results on the new adjustments.

"I...it's just Richie Brogan is coming today after school, I promised him a tour and I hate to go back on my word."

David smiled, his tests were safe. "Is that all? He can still come, and we can see he gets a bonus view of a jetpack simulation."

"That would be awesome; thanks David. I'll work over as many hours as you need to make up for lost time." Tim was so relieved he wouldn't have to let Richie down that he almost hugged David. He contented himself with a warm smile and David ushered him on his way.

"You go with Derek, there's plenty to do before the simulation."

Tim listened closely to Derek's advice. "Remember Ty, with the modifications all the controls are more sensitive so be sure you don't overdo things; you'll end up crashing the rig and the test results will be screwed."

"I'll remember, less is more."

"You got it. I should hit the road; if I'm not there on time I'll be grounded; see you tomorrow Ty."

NCIS NCIS

After a slightly shaky start while he adjusted to the sensitivity of the new controls Tim managed to relax and started to feel comfortable with the new flexibility the changes offered. He took the rig through all the scenarios David had planned, and was pleased to see the modifications had made a significant improvement to the performance of the pack.

As he stepped into the control room after the tests, Tim grinned at an open-mouthed Richie Brogan. "Hey Richie, glad you could make it."

"You said you weren't a pilot." The young boy stared up at Tim, his eyes wide with admiration.

"I'm not, strictly a lab rat Richie. Our pilot had to be somewhere else today so I just did the simulation; feet never left the ground." Tim took a good look at his young acquaintance; he seemed a lot happier than he'd been on Monday. "How are you doing, school good?"

That elicited a slight grimace. "Okay I guess, I got an A for my science homework."

Tim put his hand on Richie's shoulder and smiled broadly. "That's a heck of a lot better than okay, way to go Richie! How about we go grab a couple of sodas, then we can take a look around."

"Cool!"

Richie thoroughly enjoyed his visit and Tim was in his element guiding the youngster through the lab and workshops. As Richie relaxed in his company Tim asked a few gentle questions about how things were at home; at first Richie was guarded, giving monosyllabic answers, but little by little he'd opened up and eventually Tim had found out the identity of the Marine at the Labor Day barbecue.

"Danny...Danny Orbach, he started coming round after dad was...after he was killed...my dad was a hero, he has a Silver Star...I...I miss him."

Tim put his arm round Richie's shoulder. "My dad was in the Navy, can't imagine how I would have felt if..."

Trying hard not to cry, Richie sniffed a little before he spoke again. "We did everything together when he was home, he understood me. Danny, he...he wants me to be like him and I'm not."

"It's tough when grown-ups don't understand; maybe you could ask your mom to talk to him."

Richie shook his head vigorously. "She won't listen, ever since he started coming over she only listens to him."

"Did Danny know your dad?"

"Yeah, they were in the same platoon."

Tim knew this wasn't an uncommon occurrence in service life. The friend of a lost hero offering comfort to a bereaved spouse, the comfort sometimes turning into something deeper, maybe even to love. "Richie...your mom, maybe she needs someone, a grown-up, who can talk with her about your dad, it doesn't mean she loves you less, or that she'll ever forget your dad."

"Sure seems like Danny's taking over, whatever he says goes."

"He treat you like you're in the military, like he expects you to be on parade every minute of every day?"

Richie looked up at Tim, and a slight smile appeared on his face. "You get it...how come you see it and Mom can't."

Tim stooped down so he was looking Richie in the eye. "It's not always easy when you're close to a thing to see the big picture. You lost your dad, but she lost her husband...and she has to look out for you on her own, that's tough Richie. I think maybe she's looking for some help."

"From Danny? He's not my dad; he's not the boss of me!"

"Never said he was. Richie, does he...when he tells you what to do, has he ever...has he hurt you?"

The look of utter incomprehension on Richie's face gave Tim his answer before the whispered. "No...why would he?"

Tim ruffled the boy's hair. "No reason, none at all. A great kid like you, no one would do such a thing."

Lucy had arrived a few minutes later to find her son laughing in a way she hadn't heard since they got the news that Todd Brogan had become the latest victim of a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

"Hey Richie, it's time you let Tyler get back to work. Danny's waiting outside, I told him about your homework grade and he wants to take us out to dinner, your choice."

"Really; even if I choose Cactus Cantina?"

Lucy glanced at Tim with a slight grimace, then turned to her son. "If that's what you want."

Richie was practically bouncing; his day was getting better and better. "Tyler, you've been great; I've had the best time."

"Still aiming to fly jetpacks when you grow up?"

"I think...maybe...or..."

Tim handed Richie his school bag and led him towards his mom. "Attaboy Richie, you keep your options open; looks like you've got a great life ahead of you." Was it his imagination or did Lucy's light-hearted mood seem to disappear in an instant? Maybe he'd overstepped the mark talking about Richie's future. He was about to apologise when Lucy opened the door and waved to him.

"Thank you for all this Tyler, Richie's been talking about this trip practically non-stop since Monday."

"It's been a pleasure Lucy; you ask anyone, I love talking about jetpacks."

Richie surprised them both by running up to Tim and giving him a hug. "Thanks Tyler, for the tour...and the talk; I'll remember everything you said."

No sooner had Lucy and Richie headed out than Tim was back at his computer inputting the preliminary data from the simulation. He'd worked without another break until David called it a day.

"If we stay any longer we'll be falling asleep at the keyboard. You up for another early start Tyler?"

"Sure thing David."

"Okay, how does 6am sound?"

"Early, but I'll be here."

Tim had hurried home and opened up his email. He didn't have much time, one thing he didn't need was another late night. There was a message from Ali, and he sat down, chewing on a slice of cold pizza to read what she had sent.

She opened up with bad news. 'My boss has been really cranky today, he went out of town for a meeting and the guy he wanted to talk to wasn't in his office and no one had any idea where he'd gone.' Tim's shoulders slumped a little at that news because it meant Gibbs hadn't been able to interview Captain Dylan, which also meant he was no nearer uncovering the connection between the two men.

The next paragraph had him sitting to attention. Ali was giving him the lowdown on a guy who was sniffing around Tony's new girlfriend; this was what he wanted, hopefully it would confirm what he had come to believe about Danny Orbach.

'Tony's really worried because he looks like a stand-up guy, a decorated Marine too, seems like all his men look up to him and like him, you can imagine Tony's freaking out, he's never good when there's tough competition around."

Tim was pretty happy about that, he knew it meant Orbach had a clean military record, no criminal convictions, and was admired by his peers. Coupled with what Richie had told him, it was looking very much as if Danny was trying to do good by the Brogans, and had come up against a young boy who more than anything wanted his dad to some home. Maybe, just maybe, given time Richie would become friends with Danny. Tim chuckled to himself, he was supposed to be solving a crime here, not offering relationship counselling.

He turned his attention back to the screen, the final paragraph of his message was a warning to be sure he was taking good care of himself, and to hold fire on investing anything in the new financial deal he'd been offered. 'Uncle Jeff knows a thing or two about this stuff, he's going to take a look at the deal as soon as he has time.'

Tim sent a quick reply thanking Ali for keeping him in touch with everything back home, promising to eat well, and not go out alone after dark. He was smiling as he got ready for bed; it was good to know Abby cared; the smile didn't last long. Dylan was missing and the team hadn't yet been able to look into Lockhart's financial background, this was not the time to lose focus, he had work to do.

NCIS NCIS

The investigation had to take a back seat on Thursday; Inanna was a hive of activity from admin office through to the workshops. David and Tim had worked on the simulation tests and the results had been very positive. By the time everyone had arrived for the working day the two of them had the blueprint for the upgraded design almost done. They worked with Aidan to ensure all their ideas could be integrated into the existing shell; plans in hand Aidan got his team to work.

The admin staff was busy coordinating the guest list and security requirements for the DoD visit, David wanted every eventuality covered so Derek was in to run another simulation scenario. The lab team was working flat out to input and collate all the new data; quick breaks for food, drink and toilet breaks were all that took people away from their workstations; the whole Inanna team wanted the flight and the visit to be successful, and they were willing to help any way they could.

Sean sent everyone home at 8 o clock, and Tim managed to grab something to eat before heading home. He was half way there when he was struck by an idea…a refinement for the launch technique, if he could start the CAD program running tonight he'd have the results by morning. He checked his watch, almost 10pm, but he wasn't all that tired and now the idea was in his mind he wouldn't be able to sleep until he'd set the program in motion. Within twenty minutes he was back at Inanna, being signed in by an incredulous security guard.

"You lab guys really can't keep away from here; don't you have homes to go to?"

"I won't be long Rory, just have to get something started, should be on my way in thirty minutes."

Tim hurried down the corridor, swiped his security pass and pushed open the door to the lab. He hesitated at the doorway, something was wrong; there was a faint light coming from a computer monitor, a monitor he remembered switching off before he left the lab. Tim instinctively reached for his weapon; of course it wasn't there so he switched on the lights, ready to confront whoever was intruding after hours. "Jad, what are you doing here?"

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	7. Chapter 7

10

Jad jumped back from the computer and glared at Tim. "I could ask you the same question."

"Not really, I work here; you're only authorised to come in here during regular work hours."

Jad reached out for the keyboard, but Tim was too quick for him. "Not so fast Jad, I want to see what you've been looking at."

"Tyler...listen man, all this, it's not what you think." Hudson was starting to sweat, he thought he'd be free and clear tonight, and Tyler's appearance had him floundering.

Tim noted the thumb drive plugged into a USB socket on the computer, he clicked a few keys and breathed a sigh of relief. Jad hadn't been able to get into the secure files, from the look of things he had simply been downloading blueprints that were weeks old. Tim leaned back in his chair and stared at Hudson. "Not what I think...you mean you're not trying to steal confidential data, files that could be worth a fortune on the black market?"

Jad took a step back. "What? No, I...okay I was looking for information, but not...I wouldn't..."

"So why Jad, what were you looking for?"

"You know I'm working on my article right?"

"We all know it, and you have access to everything you need to write it." Tim was getting increasingly impatient. "Tell me what you were doing, or I call Rory and have you thrown out."

"No, please Tyler, just listen. I...it's stupid, I see it now, but I've been working on something else...another article."

"Then why didn't you tell us? Maybe we could have helped you, then you wouldn't have to go sneaking round."

Jad looked shamefaced. "I couldn't, you see this other article, it's not for a scientific journal. I pitched the idea to a guy from _Newsweek, _he wasn't too sure at first so I...I told him I had access to confidential data, that I could give them an exclusive on a jetpack that's going to work in the real world, not just in a James Bond movie."

"But Inanna has patents pending on some of our improvements, they give us an edge over our competitors, you'd be willing to put all that in the public domain just to get published?" Tim was furious, everyone at Inanna worked so hard, and had been doing long before he joined them. They'd come up with some amazing ideas and this thoughtless...

"Tyler, please, you don't have to tell David or Sean; can we keep this between us?"

Tim shook his head. "No way Jad, you've betrayed the trust of everyone who works here, I have to tell them, what they do with the information is up to them."

NCIS NCIS

Tim had escorted Jad off the premises himself and given up all hope of getting any more work done; he was so angry it was all he could do to drive home without getting in an accident. He fired off a quick email to Abby so she wouldn't be worried about him then fell into bed and got a few hours restless sleep.

As he'd expected Sean Elwood had taken a very dim view of Jad's extra-curricular activities, and had terminated his contract with immediate effect. There was little sadness around Inanna as Jad left for the last time, just some anger and bitterness, and a lot of relief that his deception had been discovered before he was able to harm their project.

Once Jad was gone work began again; there was a new drive and purpose around the place, everyone could feel it. They were more determined than ever to show the world they had come up with a design with the potential to reinvigorate jetpack technology and more important, one that could offer assistance to the US military.

Tim spent part of his day carrying out a security check on all the computer systems in the lab, he was relieved to find there had been no breaches, but just to be sure he put in a few extra safeguards, they were so close to showing what the jetpack could do, he didn't want anything to go wrong.

Miriam Lockhart was a surprise visitor to the lab after lunch; she hurried over to Tim's desk and sat beside him. "Tyler, David tells me you've been working on computer security."

"I hope that's okay Miriam, I only checked the lab computers."

"It's fine, in fact...if you could I was hoping you'd do the same for the admin machines, we have so much riding on next week's test, and after Jad...I don't want any more problems."

"I can run the new security protocols, but I'll need full access."

Miriam sighed. "I know, and I hate to do this, just the thought that we are employing someone who could betray us, it makes me sick to my stomach."

"Then let me put your mind at rest; when your team has left for the day. I'll come over and run the checks. It's just a formality Miriam, don't look so worried, you have a dedicated team, we're all pulling together, you'll see."

She gave him a quick hug. "Thanks Tyler, I'm so glad you called Sean about the job, we'd be lost without you."

Tim was relieved she hurried out of the lab because he didn't think even with his new-found undercover experience, that he'd be able to keep the look of guilt off his face. He was pretty sure being undercover should get easier the longer you did it, but he was getting close to these people, maybe too close; and he knew he would be deeply disappointed if he discovered criminal activity within Inanna ranks.

NCIS NCIS

It was almost seven when Miriam called to let Tim know the admin office was clear. She was at the door when he got to the office. "I'm leaving too Tyler, I want you to check every machine, and that includes mine. Here's the administrator password, you can access every account with it; don't forget Tyler, all the machines."

Tim waited until she was gone and then sat down at Miriam's desk, he hated to do this; but without any background on her husband's finances he had no option but to check her computer.

It didn't take him long to go through her data, she was as efficient with her files as Tim would have expected, but it was with a huge sigh of relief that he shut down her computer. Clean as a whistle, the only files on there were what he would expect to see, there was nothing hidden, no encryptions. If Vince Lockhart was up to anything, he wasn't using his wife's computer to get access to Inanna data.

Tim turned next to Lucy's computer; he had no trouble discovering her desk, pride of place went to a framed picture of a smiling Richie being carried by a Marine in full dress blues wearing a matching smile, it could only be Richie's dad, the resemblance was uncanny. He switched on the computer, hoping against hope this would be clear too, Tim shook his head; he'd made the mistake of getting too close to these people and now he'd reached the stage where he couldn't bear the thought that one of them might be guilty. He took a deep breath and got to work; it didn't take long before he found something. "Damn."

With a deep sigh he took out a thumb drive and saved the incriminating evidence; Lucy had made several attempts to access the lab computers using the company intranet. She'd had no success; the firewalls had done their job and prevented unauthorised access to classified documents.

Tim was almost trembling as he removed the thumb drive; his worst fears had come true, one of the people he'd come to look upon as a friend had tried to break into confidential files. Lucy had also been in the lab when she shouldn't; she must have realised using the intranet wasn't going to work and she'd gone to the lab to try and get into the computers at source. Tim was so disappointed in her, why would she be doing this? Maybe it was like Tony said; it was always about the Benjamins. Poor Richie, first he'd lost his dad and now his mom could be in big trouble, if she was involved in whatever had led to Lieutenant Preston's death…that was something Tim really didn't want to think about.

He checked the other computers, they were all clear, Lucy was the only person who'd been up to anything hinky. With a heavy heart Tim headed for home, there would be no joy writing his email to Ali, because tonight he would have to ask that Gibbs set up a tail on Lucy; if she was in contact with someone outside Inanna Tim wouldn't be able to check it out, his role was to stay on the inside.

After typing a quick paragraph about his day and asking Ali how things were with her, Tim's fingers slowed a little as he typed out the next sentence. 'If Tony's so worried about his new girl, maybe the best thing he can do is hire a private detective to keep tabs on her, that way he'll know if something hinky is going on.'

He signed off, heated up a can of soup, tried to eat it, threw half of it down the sink. They'd got under his skin, truth was, he'd let them, Tim reached up and gave himself a head slap. "Stupid, you broke the first rule of undercover, 'never forget why you are where you are.'" After washing his dish and spoon Tim decided to go to bed, suddenly he felt really weary.

NCIS NCIS

There was no time to dwell on what Lucy may or may not be involved with, by 7am Tim was back at Inanna. Saturday or not David wanted his team at the lab ensuring all the work Aidan's team had completed was done to his satisfaction.

"We won't know for sure until we do the test flight Monday, which will only give us one day for any last minute adjustments. So, the plan for today, I want everyone to review their data and then each of you check the work of another team member, a fresh pair of eyes may pick up something you miss. We're up against the clock, but I know we can do it; look how far we've come people, just one more step and we're ready for whatever hoops the DoD puts us through."

By the end of the day David's team was exhausted but quietly satisfied. They'd run every computer simulation they could think of, put the enhanced rig design through sets of circumstances every person in the room hoped they'd never come up against, and the rig had come through with flying colours. The analytical data was examined with a fine tooth comb by every technician, then double-checked by Tim and David.

"I think we're as ready as we can be David."

Oster nodded. "I agree." He stood up. "Okay everyone; you've done outstanding work, not just today, but throughout this whole journey. One more step and we're home free. Take the day tomorrow, you all deserve a day off, I'll see you bright and early Monday ready for the test flight."

There had been no time during the day to think about anything but the data and the tests, but as Tim drove home his thoughts turned to Lucy, and to the implications of what she'd been attempting at Inanna. Once he got back to the apartment he forced himself to eat something wholesome for a change, he'd eaten way too much junk lately. Feeling a little better after his dinner Tim sipped his coffee and opened up his email.

Ali's message was short and to the point today, after a brief 'personal' chat she got right to the crux of her message.

'Uncle Jeff says you should stay well clear of that investment opportunity, it looks like the guy has lost a lot of money. Jeff wants to talk with you, show you the figures; he's in DC for business meetings so if you can make it he'll meet you where we had our first lunch together, 11am tomorrow. If you can't make it, give me a call.

I miss you Tyler, watching the sunset without you beside me, it just isn't the same.'

NCIS NCIS

"Hey B…Jeff, it's good to see you; how's Ali?" Tim was early, but he should have guessed Gibbs would be there before him.

"She's good, quieter than usual."

Tim sat down and ordered coffee and a slice of apple pie from the waitress. "Do you want anything Jeff?"

"Just a refill, it's good coffee." Gibbs held out his cup and smiled as the steaming liquid was poured. When she was gone Gibbs leaned forward. "You doing okay Tim?"

"Yeah, only…you have anything on Lucy Brogan?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary so far; Ziva's watching today, looks like the kid's got a soccer game this morning. You're sure she's a problem?"

"There's no question she tried to get into files she shouldn't, but why she did it…"

Gibbs was watching Tim closely. "You getting too close Tim?"

Tim laughed a little. "Guess there's no point trying to hide things from you. It's just, there are so many good people at Inanna; I know it's wrong, but I'd started to hope this wasn't an inside job."

"We don't know it is Tim, not yet; I've always told you, never assume."

"You're right I know, but...it's hard to see any innocent reason Lucy would do what she did."

"You may be right, let's just see what the surveillance gives us. Right now we have a bigger problem. Cyber crimes finally got through Preston's encryptions. He was working with Dylan from the start, seems Dylan wanted inside information on Inanna; at first Preston went along with him; according to his financial records he was well paid. But something changed, Preston wasn't prepared to play ball any longer, the last email he sent was to set up a meeting with Dylan, said he wasn't happy with the way Inanna's data could be used."

"I'm guessing Dylan's now a murder suspect."

"Yeah, there's a nationwide BOLO out, but no hits so far." Gibbs reached into his jacket pocket and put a photograph on the table. "Take a good look Tim, if you catch so much as a glimpse of this guy you call me."

Tim committed Philip Dylan's features to memory. "On it Boss. Abby said you had something on Vince Lockhart's finances."

Gibbs unfolded a sheet of paper and handed it to Tim, he glanced at the rows of figures, his eyebrows went up and he gave a low whistle. "I thought he might have lost money, but this..."

"You called it right Tim, Lockhart spread himself so thin, he's lost pretty much everything. The only reason he still has a house is because it belongs to his wife, it was left to her by her father."

Pausing only to acknowledge the waitress when she brought his apple pie and refilled the coffee cups. Tim continued to read. "If all this is true...Boss, he needs money, lots of it, see here, oh you've already looked at it"

"Didn't understand it all, got someone from accounting to look it over, her reaction was pretty much the same as yours. She says Lockhart shouldn't be trusted to run a yard sale, let alone manage other people's money."

Tim nodded as another thought struck him. "Do you think Miriam knows about this?"

"No reason to think so, they have separate bank accounts and both make deposits into a joint account for household expenses, Lockhart has still been making his regular deposits, no idea where he's getting the money; as far as we can see he has no income, at least none we've been able to find."

"Problem is he could have set up a dummy corporation, if he's being paid for information on Inanna the money could be transferred anywhere."

"I've got Abby working on it, cyber crimes too, soon as we get anything you'll hear about it."

"Thanks Boss, I'll keep a watch on Miriam when she's at work."

"You watch out for Dylan too, most likely he's already killed once, don't take any chances Tim."

"Don't worry Boss, I'm the geek on the team remember, no heroics from me."

It was Gibbs turn to raise his eyebrows; he opened his mouth to respond but was stilled by the sound of Tim's phone.

"I should get this Boss, it's Tyler's phone."

"Go ahead." Gibbs leaned back, ready to savour more excellent coffee.

Tim quickly put his phone on speaker and answered the call. "Hi David."

"Tyler, thank goodness I've reached you. I know I said you could have the day, but...Tyler we need you back at Inanna, we have a big problem."

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	8. Chapter 8

9

Gibbs quickly put down his cup and leaned closer to the phone. Tim glanced over at him before he answered. "I can be there in thirty minutes. David, what's wrong?"

"It's Derek; someone ran a red light and hit his car."

"Is he hurt?"

"Concussion and whiplash, he's grounded Tyler, he won't be able to fly. You've done so well in the simulator, we...Sean and I, we were hoping you might try flying the real thing"

Tim couldn't believe what David was asking. "The inspection isn't 'til Wednesday, maybe Derek will be fit by then."

"There's no time Tyler, tomorrow's test flight has to go ahead." David's voice rose an octave or two as he pleaded with Tim.

"Okay, calm down David, I'm on my way."

Tim switched off the phone and took a deep breath. "I have to go Boss."

"Yeah...Tim, if you go ahead with this, you're vulnerable, I don't like it. This accident, so close to the inspection it's no coincidence Tim."

"But I have to try at least, everyone's worked so hard, we...they're so close."

Gibbs knew Tim would want to follow this assignment through to its conclusion; he wasn't about to let him go through with it alone. "Tim, we won't be there for tomorrow's test flight, but if you have to fly for the inspection, we'll be there."

"How? If you all show up, my cover..."

"This is not a debate Tim, if you're flying a jetpack we'll have your six, you hear me?"

"I do, just don't know how you're going to do it."

"You let me worry about that, you concentrate on what you have to do." Gibbs gulped down the last of his coffee and picked up the papers from the table. "Tim, the jetpack, is it safe to fly?"

Tim grinned. "As safe as we can make it Boss...I'm really going to fly."

Clapping his hand on Tim's shoulder Gibbs looked him in the eye. "Tim, don't get caught up in the excitement, you're only getting this chance because someone took out the test pilot; be on your guard, and don't take everyone at Inanna at face value."

"I'll watch my step Boss."

NCIS NCIS

Tim was trying hard to contain his excitement as he drove to Inanna, it wasn't easy...he was going to fly, not a simulator, but a real jetpack. How could he fail to be thrilled by the prospect? It was something he'd dreamed of since 1984, something he had never expected to happen except in his imagination.

No sooner had he switched off his engine than David was greeting him at the door, the rest of the day passed in a whirl. Tim managed to get an update on Derek's condition and was relieved to learn that after a night in the hospital he'd be able to go home, but definitely not to work.

Tim barely had time to get into his flight suit before Sean had him in the simulator carrying out a number of test runs, paying particular attention to take-off and landing.

"I know this isn't the real thing Tyler, but it's the closest we can get until the flight tomorrow, and Derek said we were to be sure you practiced those manoeuvres over and over."

"Wait, you spoke to Derek about this?"

"He was the one who suggested we call you. I was going to see if we could get another test pilot at short notice, but he said no one knew this rig better than you." Sean was smiling at the look of surprise on his latest recruit's face.

"He really said that?"

"He sure did, but he also said you needed to practice, so let's get on."

Tim worked in the simulator almost the whole day, with a few short breaks for refreshments and to look over the data from his flights. The figures were looking good, and Derek had been right; with more practice his take-offs had now improved dramatically, the landings always looked pretty smooth but Tim was sure his first real landing wouldn't be a thing of beauty.

Aidan Tooley had arrived mid-way through the afternoon, and Tim was harnessed into the rig for the first time.

"This was all set up for Derek, so I want to get your measurements and adjust the harness. It has to be a tight fit, but not so tight you can't breathe."

Tim laughed. "Breathing sounds like a good plan to me Aidan."

He stood patiently as Aidan took the measurements he needed.

"We should be good for tomorrow Tyler, the flight suit you've been wearing in the simulator is a good fit so we don't have to alter it. The harness and couplings will need work, but I can have it done in plenty of time."

"Thanks Aidan; I appreciate you giving up your Sunday afternoon."

"Are you kidding? Listen to yourself Tyler Mason, you're giving up your Sunday too, and you're saving this project; without a pilot...you don't need me to tell you we'd have to cancel the inspection, lose the chance of getting a military contract; all the work, all the late nights, they'd have been for nothing. No need to thank me Tyler, we should all be thanking you."

"Seriously, there's no need, I wish Derek hadn't been hurt, but I'm going to fly a jetpack Aidan, if you knew how long I've dreamed of that."

Aidan shook his head as he smiled at David who was sitting close by watching the fitting. "Can never understand why some guys aren't happy having their feet on the ground."

David laughed. "Don't look at me Aidan; I'm not built for flying. Tyler on the other hand, he's been itching to get in the air since he walked through our doors."

"You got me." Tim raised his arms in mock surrender. "I said I was living the dream when I got this job, but flying...talk about beyond my wildest dreams."

"Keep your arms up Tyler." Aidan wrapped the tape measure round Tim's chest. "Okay, that ought to do it, I have everything I need, no wait, the helmet."

David glanced at his watch. "Sean will be here any minute, he called in a favour, managed to get us a selection of helmets. Don't worry Aidan, I'll see Tyler gets a good fit."

"Okay, I'll go get to work. See you in the morning Tyler, be sure you get some sleep tonight."

"I'll do my best Aidan."

Tim had been put through one more take-off and landing simulation before Sean was satisfied.

"You've done great work today Tyler, thank you."

"No problem Sean, I'm just glad Derek's doing okay."

"Doc says he can go home late tomorrow, and he's hoping to visit for the inspection."

"That would be awesome; I could use the moral support."

Sean patted Tim on the back. "You'll do great Tyler, we'll go at your pace tomorrow, take the flight only when you're good and ready."

"Oh I'm ready, believe me."

His email to Abby that night was full of all the excitement of the day, so long as he remembered to call her Ali he could pretty well tell her exactly what he'd been doing. Even if someone was intercepting his messages, they wouldn't see anything to betray either Inanna secrets or his own duplicity.

As he lay in his bed Tim was sure he'd spend hours tossing and turning, but when he settled back on the pillows and closed his eyes the day caught up with him and he fell asleep almost immediately.

NCIS NCIS

The next morning he felt fully refreshed, excited and just a little scared. The fear stemmed, not from the flight itself, but from the possibility he might fail somehow, and by doing so place in jeopardy Inanna's jetpack project.

Tim forced himself to eat some breakfast even though his stomach seemed to be turning somersaults; he checked his emails and gave a slow smile as he read Abby's response to last night's ramblings.

'Sounds like your day was amazing, I would so love to see you in your flying gear, you have to take pictures, not you, someone else obviously. I wish I could be with you and watch you when your dream comes true, just be careful Tyler; I love you.'

He couldn't resist a quick reply.

'Love you too Ali. I promise to be careful. As for pictures, they film all the test flights so I'll have a DVD full of stuff to add to my jetpack presentation; wish I could see Tony's face when you tell him! I'm heading out the door now, be prepared for a long email tonight.'

Aidan was waiting for Tim, and no sooner was he through security at Inanna than he was being guided toward the workshop.

"I finished the alterations Tyler; just want you to try the harness one last time before we attach it to the pack."

"Okay, give me a minute to get into my flight suit and I'll be right there."

The harness was a perfect fit, much to Aidan's relief, he didn't want to make any more last minute alterations and now his team could concentrate on getting the pack fitted to the harness.

"I'll call you when it's ready, then you can try on the complete rig."

Tim headed back to the lab to see whether David needed any help with final preparations for the flight. "Anything you want me to do David? Looks like I'm at a loose end 'til Aidan's finished working his magic."

David glanced at Tim in surprise. "You've got enough to think about today, take a break, get a coffee."

"No coffee, rushing to the restroom is the last thing I need when I'm in full flying gear."

"Oh...I didn't think. Tyler, before we get out to the test ground and everything gets crazy, I want to say..."

"You wish it was you taking to the air." Tim didn't want any more expressions of gratitude from Inanna personnel, every time someone thanked him for what he was doing the guilt over his double life rose to the surface. As he'd hoped his light-hearted remark deflected David.

"I wish I was forty pounds lighter too! No Tyler, I've never wanted to fly a jetpack, all I ever dreamed of was making one."

"Well, if that's true, you've succeeded, and a mighty fine jetpack it is."

David's smile of thanks soon disappeared and he looked at Tim, his eyes showing real concern. "Tyler, look...if you have any doubts about the pack, about taking it up, you're under no obligation..."

"Why would I have doubts David? You've designed a fantastic machine and Aidan has put it together so well; seriously, if there's going to be a problem today it will be down to pilot error."

David was smiling again. "In that case we won't have any problems, from what I've seen we've got a pretty good man at the controls."

A few minutes later David was gone, taking with him yet another thing he wanted to pack on the truck before they left. At the rate David was going Tim figured it would have been easier to have the flight on the parking lot, that way David would everything close to hand. Tim sat at his computer trying hard to be patient, but now it was so close, he just wanted to get out to the test ground.

NCIS NCIS

It didn't look much, a vacant lot beside the I-495, but to Tim it was like the Promised Land, this was where the flight was going to take place. The area near Beach Road was slated for construction, but in the meantime the site owner, a good friend of Sean was happy to allow Inanna to use it for testing.

The day was clear, with little or no wind, perfect flying weather; Tim breathed deep and mentally ran through all the procedures he'd practiced so often in the simulator. Aidan and his engineers had done well, and as they guided Tim toward the take-off area he gave them a double thumbs-up. The rig was heavy, no getting away from that, but the harness was a perfect fit and the pack sat snugly on his back.

"This is it Tyler, you're good to go. We have to step back to the safety line, but we'll be right here watching."

"Thanks Aidan, all of you, you've done great work to have this ready in time."

"Least we could do Tyler, just wait for Sean's signal, then in your own time throttle back, good luck."

Tim watched the engineers step behind a white line painted on the grass and turned his face to Sean, the head of Inanna gave him a warm smile. "All systems are ready here Tyler, we'll be monitoring you all the way. Inanna test flight is a go!"

Tim took a deep steadying breath and hit the ignition, the roar of the propulsion engines filled his ears and the vibration from the pack almost knocked him off his feet. He pulled back on the throttle and felt the power, then his feet left the ground, he was airborne...Tim wanted to remember this feeling so he could relive forever the moment he took flight, but he knew he didn't have the words to describe how truly awesome it was. There was elation as he'd expected, but there was something more, a sense of detachment, of being apart from those on the ground, being at one with the air, with the sky...Tim pressed for more power and the rig responded as he knew it would, the controls felt like an extension of his arm, the hours spent in the simulator were paying off now, there was little need to think, Tim instinctively knew what to do and when to do it. He went higher; maybe twenty feet in the air, hovering above his colleagues he was struck by the fact that he was no longer in their sphere, and they weren't in his, two different creatures, one of land and one of air...another thought struck him as he took the rig in a full circle over the test ground, so many people had worked to make this happen, jetpack flight wasn't his dream alone, it was the dream of everyone down there, except...Tim's elation dimmed a little as he thought of Lucy's strange behaviour, and of Captain Dylan...he had to keep in mind, not everyone wanted to see Inanna succeed.

Chiding himself for letting his mind wander, Tim concentrated on the controls as he took the rig through its paces. He took it higher, then descended slowly, hovering just two feet above the ground, weaving around the pre-set obstacles; the joystick responded to his lightest touch as he steered through the air. All too soon it was time to return to the ground, he couldn't resist one more ascent, then he eased off the throttle, and with the slightest of stumbles he was back on terra firma.

A few seconds later he was surrounded by cheering, smiling men and women, some were applauding and right at the front of the group was David Oster, his eyes shining as he clasped Tim's hand. "Tyler, you were...that was..."

"It was awesome Ty; I knew you could do it."

Tim couldn't believe it; this day was getting better every minute. "Derek! They said you were still in the hospital."

Pascoe helped Aidan release Tim from the harness. "No way was a stupid headache keeping me away from your debut as a jetpack jockey. I said you were a natural; just wanted to see the evidence with my own eyes."

"I'm okay as a substitute when the pack's good to go, but you're the real deal, taking this thing up when it's still a work in progress; not sure I'd have the guts to do that."

"You've got guts enough for me. Come on Ty, let Aidan's people pack up here, we'll get back to Inanna and start the debrief."

Initial data from the test had been positive; it looked as if all the adjustments had led to a real improvement in the performance of the rig. Tim and Derek watched the replay of the flight several times and Derek had a few suggestions for the inspection flight.

"You're sure you won't be flying Derek? You look pretty fit."

"Regulations Ty; have to be grounded for seven days after a concussion. You'll do great, take the day tomorrow to relax, no simulations, you don't need more practice."

"Thanks." Tim stretched his arms above his head and slowly turned his head from side to side. Derek gave an understanding smile.

"Muscles stiffening up?"

"A little, guess I could use a hot bath."

"Then get out of here and go home. I can report to David, go Ty, I'll be here tomorrow and we can talk some more."

Tim accepted Derek's offer with alacrity, he was getting stiff, and he was tired too. The adrenaline from the flight and its aftermath was well and truly gone, and his legs felt leaden as he made his way across the parking lot.

"Tyler!"

He was so tired it took him a few seconds to remember that was the name he should be answering to here; he turned round to see Lucy hurrying toward him. "Hey Lucy, you okay?" She didn't look okay, her eyes were ringed by dark shadows, and she seemed out of breath.

"I...Tyler, you were so kind to...to Richie. I, I have to tell someone..." She glanced over her shoulder and a look of panic crossed her face as Miriam Lockhart opened the door and called out.

"Lucy! We need you in here. Maggie's lost the invitation list and she's having a meltdown!"

Tim reached out for Lucy's arm, but she pulled away. "I can't stop...not here, too many people."

"You could come to my place later."

There was a momentary look of relief before her expression returned to one of fear. "No...if he finds out...I shouldn't have said anything." She headed back to the building with one backward glance at Tim. "I'm sorry Tyler, you have enough on your plate, you can't help me, no one can."

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	9. Chapter 9

12

He wanted to follow Lucy, to ask her what was wrong, but Tim knew that course of action could make matters worse for her; it was highly unlikely they could have a private conversation, and if whoever she was scared of saw them...no he'd leave well alone, but he wasn't going to leave Lucy without help. He was almost back at his apartment when he found what he was looking for, a gas station with a public payphone inside. He topped up the tank, went inside to pay and after checking no one had followed him, he made a call.

"Gibbs."

"Hey Boss."

"Tim, what's wrong?" Gibbs was immediately concerned, they'd agreed at the start of the operation that Tim would only get in touch by phone in an emergency. "Did something go wrong with the test?"

"No I'm fine, but I have a problem...Boss, the surveillance on Lucy Brogan, have you picked up on anything?"

"Nothing unusual; she goes to work, kid goes to school; Danny Orbach is based at Quantico right now. They got together for the day Sunday, regular family stuff...what have you got Tim?"

"She tried to tell me something today, she's scared Boss and I don't know how I can help her."

"You let us dig deeper; maybe we can get a warrant for a phone tap."

"You'll need a real friendly judge to grant a warrant in these circumstances."

Tim smiled as he heard Gibbs' low laugh. "You think I don't have friends in high places McGee? I'll see what I can do, and if Ali tells you Uncle Jeff's got his ear to the ground you know we'll be listening to Lucy's calls."

"Thanks Boss; any news on Lockhart?"

"Abby's sure he's into something, and it's something he's gone out of his way to hide; she's trying to follow the money, but it's not easy."

"Yeah, I know how that can be. I'll watch out for him if he shows his face at Inanna; I should be going, guess I'll see you Wednesday."

"Good guess McGee."

As soon as he got to his apartment he made a pot of coffee, and then had the hot bath he'd been promising himself; it helped a little but the tension wouldn't leave his shoulders. Tim knew that had more to do with his worries about Lucy than his exertions during the test flight. The joy he'd felt during the flight seemed out of place now; how could he have been so thoughtless? Lucy was in trouble, and he'd let her flounder while he played at being a fly-boy.

Tim opened up his email, as expected there was a message from Abby, he scanned it quickly; no sign that Gibbs had his warrant; Tim wasn't surprised, it had always been a long shot. The Lockhart search hadn't progressed beyond the discovery of a shell corporation which may or may not be depositing funds in a Cayman Islands account. Tim sighed, he'd been undercover for weeks, the DoD inspection was just a day away, Lucy Brogan was living in fear and he had nothing. Oh sure, he'd learned to fly a jetpack; even helped to make the machine better, but the case...Lieutenant Preston had died because he'd decided to call a halt to his dealings with Dylan, and they weren't a step closer to finding the errant Captain. So much time invested in this case and he'd come up empty handed.

He typed a quick response, barely mentioning his flight; the sight of Lucy's face had driven all thoughts of the pleasure he'd felt that morning from his mind. Right now he didn't want to strap on the rig ever again, he wanted to concentrate on the case, on helping Lucy and her son. The rest of it was nothing but a distraction.

Sleep was a long time coming that night, and when it did it was of the shallow, restless variety. When the shrill tone of his alarm woke him next morning Tim had come to a decision. He'd keep his promise and fly for the DoD inspection, but after that he was going to ask Gibbs to pull him out of Inanna; he could do more good back at the Navy Yard shackled to his desk than he could undercover.

After a quick shower and breakfast he felt ready to face the day, there was a little residual stiffness in his muscles, but Tim figured it would ease as the day went on.

NCIS NCIS

"So the way I see it, the only work we have to do today is refuel and be sure we have everything stowed away on the truck." David leaned back in his chair with a smile and Tim couldn't help feeling pleased for him.

"You did all the hard work on the design David, and Aidan's put it all together, you deserve a few hours to bask in the glory."

"Not counting chickens, until the inspection is over and we get the funding to help us carry on our work, the job's only half done."

"They'd be crazy not to fund this project."

"Crazy things happen Tyler."

The door opened slowly and Lucy Brogan stepped inside the lab. "David, Sean would like you to go to his office; he has a conference call with a DoD technician and he says he can't even understand the questions, let alone answer them."

"I should go rescue him." David gave a quick wave as he headed out.

Tim turned to the nervous woman. "Lucy, you can talk to me, whatever's bothering you; maybe I can help."

She glanced at the door, then at Tim. "No one can help, I'm...no, I can't"

Tim pulled out a chair and sat her down. "Talk to me, is it Danny, has he done something?"

She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "I wish it was that simple. No, I don't know what you said to Richie the day he was here, but things have been so much better between them..."

"Okay, so what is the problem?" He sat beside her, trying to make eye contact, but she wouldn't look at him.

"He told me...if I said anything...Richie would get hurt...Tyler, I don't know what to do."

Tim leaned a little closer and took her hand. "I can help Lucy, I promise; if you just tell me." He thought he'd got through to her at last, and that she was ready to open up to him, but the door banged open and Tim was surprised to see Vince Lockhart striding into the lab.

"Here you are Tyler; I wanted to congratulate the hero of the hour and you're hiding away in the lab."

"Not hiding Mr Lockhart, it's where I work." Tim didn't quite succeed in keeping the tone of annoyance out of his voice. The minute Lockhart opened the door Lucy had raced from the room and Tim guessed he wouldn't get another chance to talk with her today.

Vince Lockhart took a few steps into the lab and to Tim it seemed like he was paying more attention to the monitors than was absolutely necessary. "Something I can help you with Mr Lockhart?"

"It's Vince; you know the Inanna family is big on informality. I don't need help, just taking a look at the nerve-centre of the jetpack project."

"Yeah, well we're pretty busy right now, with the inspection tomorrow, I should get back to work."

"Of course, is everything on schedule for the big day?"

"Hey Tyler, looks like we have to...oh, hi Vince." David Oster was red-faced and breathless. "The guy from DoD, he wants..."

"Sit down David, take a breath." Tim handed David a bottle of water and gave Lockhart a dismissive glance. "Like I said Mr Lockhart, we have to get to work."

The smile on Vince's face faltered a little, but he headed for the door. "Yes, I see that. I certainly don't want to keep you. I wish you all the best for tomorrow; I'm very much looking forward to seeing you fly Tyler, if Inanna is awarded the defence contract I might get to see a little more of my wife."

NCIS NCIS

Later in the afternoon Tim emailed Abby from his work computer, he was supposed to wait for their evening exchange of messages, but something about Lockhart's behaviour had him on edge.

'I know your Uncle Jeff's already checked out the guy who was after my money, but could you ask him if he has time to look deeper; there's something about him that just doesn't sit right, he's the kind of person you want to keep in your sights. Jeff told me yesterday about Tony's girlfriend having trouble; you should tell Tony to watch out for her and her family, sounds like they really could use some help.'

He added a few personal Tyler touches and told her he wished she could be there to see him fly. Tim sent the email and got back to work, confident that Gibbs would get the message and increase surveillance on Lucy, and get some eyes on Vince Lockhart.

After a few attempts to get Lucy on her own Tim gave up; as he'd expected there was too much activity and too many people around Inanna, it was impossible to speak with her before close of day.

Tim hurried in to his apartment without pausing even to get a can of soda, he switched on his computer and waited impatiently for his email to open. Abby's message was brief, but was exactly what he wanted to see.

'You've got the whole family racing around. Uncle Jeff has even asked some of his buddies to watch out for that creep who was after your money; you keep your money Tyler, we need it for when we get our own place! Tony's staying close to his girl; she's got nothing to worry about.

I want you to remember your promise and take care tomorrow, stay focussed and fly safe.'

NCIS NCIS

Unexpectedly, Tim got a good night's sleep, Abby's email had reassured him that Gibbs and the team had everything in hand. He needed to keep his head clear, and concentrate on the flight; once it was done he'd talk to Gibbs, see if he could pull out of Inanna and get back to doing the geek work at NCIS.

He barely had time to park his car before he was on the move again.

"The DoD want the flight an hour earlier Tyler, seems they have someplace else to be this afternoon. I hate to spring this on you, but they didn't call 'til just now."

"Not your fault Sean, I guess I'm as ready as I'm likely to be. Do you think they're using the surprise tactic to catch us on the hop?"

Sean nodded. "That's exactly what I think." He gave a wry smile. "It's up to us to show them we can cope with whatever they throw our way."

It was a quiet, tense drive to the test ground; each member of the Inanna team going over in their minds exactly what they had to do to make this test the success they all wanted. Tim found himself unconsciously moving his hands as if he was already flying, David noticed and gripped Tim's shoulder.

"You've done great work Tyler, whatever happens today I want you to know we're all grateful you came to work with us, we sure wouldn't be where we are now without you."

Tim cursed himself for blushing, but in the dimly lit interior of the truck he hoped David hadn't noticed. "Why don't we save the speeches 'til after the flight? We still have another hurdle to get over."

"We're going to do it Tyler; everything we've done has led us this far, we're ready, I say bring it on!"

Tim had to smile at David's confidence, and to hope it wasn't misplaced, but in truth there really was nothing more they could do.

At the test site everything seemed to be in a state of organised chaos, alongside the usual complement of Inanna staff, there were security personnel and a small team of caterers setting up some tables. Tim made his way toward Aidan, keen to ensure everything was okay with the rig.

"Coffee for you sir?"

"No thanks, I'm about to...Ziva! What the..." Tim stopped in his tracks; he hadn't recognised her with her long hair hidden by a white cap.

"Gibbs told you we would be here; perhaps you should take the coffee, even if you do not drink it."

"Oh sure..." He took the cup and glanced round the site. "Is that Tony by the..."

Ziva grinned. "Oh yes, our Very Special Agent is on Porta Potty duty."

"He has to be enjoying that."

"Given that his other option was to watch Richie Brogan, I am not surprised he chose this, you know how Tony can be around children."

"Oh, yeah...I should be going Ziva, someone may be watching."

"Indeed; Gibbs will be here shortly, he has joined one of the Navy security details. Good luck McGee, we will be watching out for you."

"Thanks Ziva, see you later." Tim returned his cup and continued his walk toward the engineers, but he stopped short when he saw Lucy coming toward him.

"Tyler...I...I know you must have so much to think about right now, but he's not here so I have to tell you now."

"It's okay Lucy, let's take the long way round, we'll have more time." He guided her to the perimeter of the site and took the circular route to Aidan's workstation. "So tell me, who is he?"

Lucy's eyes were restless, her breath coming in short gasps. "Vince Lockhart...Tyler, I have to tell someone, and you've been so good with Richie, and there's something about you...I feel like I can trust you."

"You can tell me Lucy, what's Lockhart been doing to you?"

"He...he wanted me to get information, the confidential lab files, he told me to get into the computers, get him what he wanted or...Tyler, he threatened Richie, I...I couldn't risk...I've lost my husband, I couldn't bear it if..."

Tim put his arm round her shoulder. "I'm glad you felt able to tell me Lucy. I can't tell you much right now, but believe me when I say Richie is safe, and you will be too, as soon as we...as the authorities deal with Lockhart." He saw Aidan waving frantically in his direction. "I have to go now, but after the flight, we'll talk again; please don't worry any longer, I promise you, Richie will be fine."

He was rewarded by the first genuine smile he'd seen from her in days, and she hurried back to the welcoming party with a brief wave. Tim headed over to Aidan with an apologetic smile. "Sorry guys, I'm not too late am I"

"Like they can get this thing off the ground without you Ty." Derek Pascoe was holding onto the jetpack, ready to help with the harness. "Like I've told you before, you lead Ty, we don't go 'til you're ready, DoD or no DoD."

"I'm ready Derek, we've all got a lot invested in this, let's go."

Aidan and Derek soon had Tim rigged up and ready to fly, they helped him to the take-off area and Tim waited patiently as Sean gave his introductory speech. He couldn't hear most of what was said as much of the sound was muffled by his helmet. He took a quick look round the site, it looked so different from the last time he'd been here, then the people watching had been rooting for him, hoping he'd do well, today…today he was under real scrutiny and some of the people out there wouldn't care if he landed flat on his face. He caught sight of Gibbs, standing to attention near three Navy officers; it was good to know the team had his six.

A few moments later Sean gave him the thumbs-up and Tim braced himself to take to the air again. He felt the thrust of power and his feet left the ground; the feeling wasn't the same, with so many people watching he had less time to savour the moment, and more time to worry about what it would mean to everyone at Inanna if he messed up. He tried to take Derek's advice and imagine his audience naked, but the fact that his audience included Gibbs Tony, and Ziva…no, he wasn't going down that road. Instead, he concentrated on the schedule of manoeuvres he'd discussed with David and Derek; they wanted him to show just how versatile the rig could be.

After an eye-opening low-flying pass over the heads of his audience Tim took the pack higher, ready to show them the speed with which the rig could change altitude and direction; he was nearing the apogee of his climb when a movement just on the periphery of his vision had him changing course toward the trees bordering the construction site. As he got closer the breath caught in his throat; Lockhart, and right beside him the struggling figure of Richie Brogan.

Tim had just one though in his mind, he had to get down there, get Richie away to safety; he'd promised Lucy she wouldn't lose her son and he was determined to be true to his word. He eased back on the throttle and steered toward the trees. Tim knew the Inanna team would be puzzled by his deviation from their plan, he could only hope Gibbs and the others would also notice something was wrong. As he got closer, Tim saw the knife in Lockhart's hand and the fear in Richie's eyes; then the fear became hope as Richie noticed the jetpack flying toward him.

Lockhart was screaming something, Tim could see his mouth moving, but with the roar of the engine in his ears he had no way of knowing what was being said. Suddenly, Lockhart dropped the knife, pushed the boy away and started running; Tim took the jetpack lower and called out. "Richie, your mom's over there, run!" As best he could he gestured in the direction of the test site.

He set off in pursuit of Lockhart, the older man was already slowing down, and Tim hoped it wouldn't take long for Gibbs and the others to get here; he descended a little more and was only a few feet above the ground when out of the corner of his eye he caught the flash of sunlight on metal. There was no time to register that another person had been hiding in the trees; his chest exploded in white hot pain, as his brain reacted to the fact he'd been shot Tim lost control of the pack and fell to the ground.

For blissful moments he felt nothing, then there were hands everywhere and pain, so much pain, finally he heard a voice, was it Gibbs?

"Tim, hold on, help's here, just hold on for us."

He felt more pressure on his chest, another wave of excruciating pain; there was something he had to say, if only he could stop the darkness closing in. "Ab...by...tell..."


	10. Chapter 10

10

The cold, dead eyes stared sightlessly up at the clear blue sky, the bloodstains on his chest glistened dark red in the dappled sunlight; Tony fought back the hot tears stinging his eyes as he watched the lifeless figure, willing him to move so he could...

"Tony, you okay?"

"No Boss, I want him to be alive, so I can shoot the bastard over and over 'til I run out of bullets, I want him to feel again, so I can hurt him like he hurt Tim." Tony suddenly noticed he was shivering, when did it get so cold? He felt a strong, steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Hold it together Tony, we have work to do; can you work?"

Tony nodded and reluctantly turned away from Philip Dylan's body; there was always work, always another thing that kept you away from the place you wanted to be. Right now, Tony wanted to be at Bethesda, waiting as he knew Abby and Ducky soon would be for news on Tim's condition. He knew it had been less than fifteen minutes since they'd seen Tim fly toward the trees but Tony felt like he'd lived of lifetime of traumatic experiences in those few minutes.

When Tim changed course Gibbs had signalled for them to follow, undercover or not they weren't going to let Tim fly out there without backup. As Tim took the jetpack lower they lost sight of him in the trees, then they heard the shots and without hesitation they ran toward the gunfire. Their first sight of Tim's still form pinned to the ground by the weight of the pack almost gave his shooter the chance to get away...almost. Gibbs summoned up every ounce of his experience, concentrated on his target and called out. "Put it down! Federal Agents!"

If Dylan heard him, they'd never know because he raised his gun again, Gibbs put two rounds in his chest and Ziva's slug hit him in the middle of his forehead.

Tony dropped to his knees beside his fallen teammate and was frantically trying to unbuckle the harness when he heard more footsteps. "Ty! Oh my...Aidan, we have to get the rig off..."

Aidan took a knife from his coveralls, Gibbs reached for his own knife and together they sliced through the harness. Derek pulled the rig away and Gibbs dropped his knife and pressed down as hard as he could on Tim's chest; too much blood, all he could think was there was too much...

"Let us through, make way!"

Ziva let up a silent prayer of thanks as two uniformed medics hurried through the trees and got to work on her friend. She could see Gibbs whisper something to Tim, and she felt sure Tim's lips moved, but nothing could be heard over the commotion as the medics carried out their life-saving work. Now that Tim was getting professional help she took a moment to look around her; people were everywhere, too close...they shouldn't be seeing this. "You must step back, let them have some room."

"Is he...please, he's not?" Lucy was holding Richie close, cradling his head so he couldn't see what was happening. "Tyler, he...it's my fault..."

Ziva wanted to concentrate on Tim, but she couldn't let this woman take on the overwhelming burden of guilt. "Mrs Brogan." She saw the startled look Lucy gave when she was addressed by name. "The man you knew as Tyler, he is a Federal Agent working undercover. What happened here, it is not your fault."

"I don't understand...he was going to help me, Lockhart...Tyler, oh, that's what he meant...people who can help, are you?"

Ziva nodded. "NCIS, we will help Mrs Brogan, when my friend is safely on his way to the hospital."

Lucy took one more lingering look at Tim. "I'll pray for him, whatever his name is, he's a good man."

Before Ziva could tell her his name Lucy was gone, the other shocked bystanders slowly made their way back to the test site, and Ziva turned her attention to her teammates.

She stood beside Tony as the medics worked to keep their friend alive, Gibbs was still kneeling on the ground, whispering words of encouragement. Words that seemed to have failed as one on the uniformed paramedics called out.

"We're losing him, get the paddles!"

Unconsciously Ziva reached out for Tony, he clasped her hand. "He...he'll be okay Ziva, we can't lose him..."

She prayed he was right and prayed to God to keep their friend safe. "Please McGee, do not make us tell Abby you are gone."

"We have a rhythm; can you get the ambulance closer? I want to move him as little as possible." The older of the two medics glanced at Gibbs who immediately got to his feet.

"Keys in the ignition?"

The medic nodded and Gibbs ran back to the test site. Later he would find time to bless Sean Elwood's decision to have a paramedic team on standby for the test flight; right now he had to concentrate on getting the ambulance as close as he could to Tim. Derek Pascoe was running beside Gibbs.

"You get inside; I'll clear these people out of the way."

With Pascoe's assistance Gibbs got the ambulance to within a few feet of Tim; the medics had him on oxygen and there was an IV supplying life-supporting fluid to his body. Tony was holding the IV bag and Ziva was kneeling as close to Tim as she could get without being in the way of the medical professionals; her lips were moving and Gibbs knew she was praying, he'd let them have their brief time with Tim, but soon, very soon, they'd have to get back to work.

As the paramedics lifted Tim into the ambulance for the short journey to Bethesda and the shriek of sirens split the air, Gibbs pulled out his phone; high time he made one of the hardest calls he was ever likely to make.

"Hey Duck; I need you to do something for me, Tim...he's been hurt."

"Oh Lord! Jethro, how bad?"

"Two bullets in the chest, heaven knows how, but he's holding on, they're taking him to Bethesda. Duck, we have a body, can you send Jimmy here and will you go to the hospital, send us word?"

"But of course. Jethro, does Abigail know?"

Gibbs swallowed the lump in his throat. "I can't tell her Duck."

"Never fear old friend, I'll talk to her. We'll go to Bethesda together; Jethro...the body, is it the person who shot Timothy?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll tell Jimmy he doesn't have to be gentle. You go and do your work Jethro; I'll tell Abigail and call when we have any news."

With a grim smile Gibbs ended the call, he took a few paces toward the body of the man who'd tried to kill McGee. Their missing Navy Captain had turned up at last, his hair had been bleached and cut high and tight, enough of a difference from his regular appearance that their BOLO had been unsuccessful...Gibbs suddenly remembered there was another alert they had to put out.

"Gibbs, I have asked for a BOLO on Lockhart, he cannot have gone far."

"Good work Ziva, I'll call Vance, let him know...get more agents down here, we have a lot of witnesses to interview, and I want Lockhart's wife, Miriam, I want to talk to her right now."

"I will get her; Gibbs, Lucy Brogan..."

"Oh yeah, we need her too, Tony can go with you."

"I do not know if he can help, Tony is..."

He was standing, head bowed staring down at Dylan's dead body, Gibbs could see his Senior Field Agent was trembling. "I've got this Ziva, you go get Miriam Lockhart."

NCIS NCIS

"Gibbs, are you ready to do this? If you can't hold it together..."

"I'm not going to hit him Leon, not that I won't be tempted, don't want the bastard getting away with threatening a kid."

"Or with putting your agent in harms way."

Gibbs' fingers were already digging into his palms as he struggled to maintain control, he would do it though, this man contributed to Tim's injuries and Gibbs wasn't going to do anything to jeopardise the case against him, Lockhart may not have pulled the trigger, but his actions led to Tim being in Dylan's sights.

"Have you heard any more from Doctor Mallard?"

"Tim's still in surgery, Ducky says we likely won't hear more 'til he's in recovery."

Vance couldn't help but look at his watch. Three hours in surgery already, he could only hope that McGee's eventual destination was the Recovery Room because the alternative simply didn't bear thinking about.

"Keep me apprised Gibbs, and if you need anything..."

"Thanks Leon." Gibbs nodded to Tony and they strode into the interrogation room, Agent Schecter relinquished his guard duty with some reluctance, he'd have liked to be up close and personal when Gibbs interrogated Lockhart.

Gibbs barely acknowledged the departing agent; he steadied himself and sat opposite the man handcuffed to a metal chair.

"You can't keep me locked in here without representation, I want my lawyer!"

"She's on her way, so you don't have to be concerned, we won't be asking you any questions 'til she gets here. I'm Special Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo and I are just going to be talking...and maybe showing you some things you'll find interesting."

Ziva was standing in observation, every nerve in her body seemed on edge, she felt like a caged animal, eager to escape the confines of this room, this building...Gibbs and Tony felt it too she was certain, but as Gibbs often told them, they must focus on the work. Their wounded comrade was in the best place, getting the best care available, nothing they could do would change McGee's situation, except...they would be close, not only to Tim, but to Abby and Ducky, she would help them deal with whatever was to come, as they would help her, she had discovered late in her life, it was what family did for each other. Tim would need them too, his own family were overseas in various far-flung places, and it would be many more hours before they'd arrive in DC, he would not be alone, they would see to that. Gibbs was placing a small package on the table and Ziva stood straighter, she didn't want to miss anything as Gibbs and Tony played Lockhart and reeled him in like the cold fish he was.

"Vince Lockhart, you're going down for the abduction of a minor, and extortion, there's no question you're guilty, all we're interested in is why, and before you leave this room you're going to tell us, you see this knife? Oh, right, you're not talking; that's okay, I'll start. This is the knife you held to Richie Brogan's throat this morning. Wasn't it enough you had the kid scared out of his wits by telling him his mom was hurt, you got him out of school under false pretences and then you took him to the test site, and you threatened his life...he's ten years old Lockhart, you want to make any more threats before your lawyer gets here, you make them to me. No; guess I'm too big for you; you only like to threaten defenceless women and children." Gibbs pushed the knife they'd found out near the test site toward their prisoner, it was secured in a plastic evidence tube, and they hadn't yet completed fingerprint tests, but Richie had identified the weapon, and that was good enough for Gibbs.

"Pretty big knife to use on a kid Boss."

Gibbs gave Lockhart one of his patent glares, and took some small pleasure in seeing the man squirm in his seat. "Yeah, well I guess when you're a pretty big coward you need a big knife to hide behind."

"I'm not..." Lockhart couldn't take his eyes off the knife; his face was already a shade or two darker than when he'd sat down at the table. Sure he was nervous about the interrogation, but he'd convinced himself Richie would be too scared to tell the cops anything, what he hadn't considered was that the cops he'd be talking to knew Tyler Mason, and had a personal axe to grind. He swallowed down the denial he'd been about to give, and remembered his right to remain silent, looking at the door he wished silently that his lawyer would arrive soon, these two looked like they weren't ready to give him an easy ride,

It was Tony's turn to put something on the metal table; he opened up a buff folder and took out some printed pages. "From what we've been hearing today you're not much of anything Lockhart; your own wife doesn't want to know you, she's given us access to your home and everything in it, including the computers." Tony had to work hard to keep the smirk off his face as he saw Lockhart's florid complexion lose most of its colour. "Oh yes, we're going to find out exactly what you did with all your money, and why you were using threats against a ten year old boy to get information from his mother."

"She had nothing; it was a waste of time!"

Tony held up his hand. "Please Mr Lockhart, you really shouldn't say anything until your lawyer gets here, we wouldn't want there to be any problems when we get to court now would we?"

It was impossible to miss the frequent movements of Lockhart's Adam's apple as he tried to maintain some semblance of control, he felt nauseous, if Miriam had turned against him...when they found the files on his home computer...

Gibbs knew they were getting close to Lockhart's breaking point, he'd figured the man wouldn't be a tough nut to crack, too soft and too scared, time to play his ace; he leaned back in his chair and turned to Tony with the ghost of a smile. "You know Agent DiNozzo, I'm not sure this case is ever going to get to court. With the evidence we've collected today, and when we tie Lockhart into Captain Dylan's sabotage plans, I figure we've got a real good case to have him treated as a terrorist."

Smacking himself theatrically on the forehead Tony exclaimed. "You're right! Why didn't I think of it earlier? With so many military big-wigs at the test flight, any attempt to disrupt the test...well, it has to be terrorism, no other reason to do what they did."

"Just what I was thinking." Gibbs started to gather up the items from the table. "Figure we're done here, we should hand this over to Homeland Security, I'm guessing they can have a place reserved for Lockhart on a one-way flight to Guantanamo Bay."

"No! No, you can't...I'm no terrorist! That's a lie!"

"So you say, but just so long as you won't talk, we can't help you. Our friends over at Homeland Security, they have ways of getting people to talk...I give you twenty minutes of their methods before you sing like a bird."

Tony put out his hand, ready to shake Gibbs'. "I'll take that bet, only I'm betting on ten minutes."

"Stop! I...what do I sign? I don't want a lawyer, I'll tell you, it wasn't terrorism..." Gibbs grabbed a notepad and paper and freed one of Lockhart's hands from the handcuffs.

"Write down that you refused a lawyer, sign it, and then you can talk."

NCIS NCIS

"Agent Gibbs...I wanted to say..."

"Do not apologise Osman, it was your job to watch Richie Brogan and you let Lockhart take him from under your nose."

"But..."

Tony laid a hand on Russell Osman's shoulder. "Leave it kid, it's too soon, he knows you couldn't go into the school without breaking cover, he's angry right now, give him a day or so."

The young agent shook his head. "It was a stupid mistake, I was watching the main gate, never thought he'd use the staff entrance. Tony...I am sorry, and I hope McGee's okay, he's a good guy."

"Yeah, he sure is." Tony followed Ziva and Gibbs to the elevator, they'd done with all the interviews they were going to conduct today and they could finally head for Bethesda, and hopefully good news about Tim's condition. Worryingly, he was still in surgery, and they were now looking at six hours and counting.

Lockhart had told them everything about his plan to get confidential information from Inanna. He'd been haemorrhaging money and some of his clients were getting nervous and demanding their investments be returned, short of funds Lockhart had turned to loan sharks for the money, and when he couldn't make good on his debts they'd demanded payment in kind. Turned out he'd got tangled up with the Russian Mafia, and they weren't about to let him off the hook; they knew about his wife, and where she worked, and they also knew Inanna had information that could be worth a fortune on the black market. They offered to write off Lockhart's debts, and remove the threat of physical violence if he got them the confidential files; he'd tried using his wife's login and computer without success, and had turned to Lucy Brogan, knowing how vulnerable she was, and that her son meant everything to her. He hadn't realised just how secure the secure files were, and his abortive attempt to force Lucy's hand at the test flight had been thwarted first by Tim's intervention, and then by the appearance of Philip Dylan.

Tony was grateful they had the confession, but he wasn't in a forgiving mood and he hoped Lockhart would get the proverbial book hurled at him. Watching the set of Gibbs' jaw as he detailed his slide into criminal behaviour Tony was confident Miriam Lockhart wouldn't he seeing her husband for a very long time, judging by the way she had behaved earlier today, she wouldn't be visiting him in prison.

The ride over to Bethesda was quiet and quick, Gibbs negotiated the traffic deftly, his calm exterior belying the maelstrom of emotions he was experiencing. He had to hold it together for his team; Tim's injuries were about as bad as he'd seen, and the very fact that he was still alive was little short of a miracle, if he didn't hold on...Gibbs didn't want to think about it, but he had to, if he wasn't prepared for the worst, then who would be? There was another reason he had to stay calm, more important even that holding it together for Tony and Ziva, because in a few minutes he was going to be facing Abby, and trying to explain to her how the man she loved had come within seconds of losing his life.


	11. Chapter 11

7

Gibbs had walked into the waiting room hoping for a welcoming hug from Abby, just so he could hold her and offer her some comfort, he knew words wouldn't be enough, who had the words to deal with this situation? She didn't go to him; after quickly lifting her head and looking hopefully at the waiting room door, she leaned her head again on Ducky's shoulder and gripped his hand a little tighter. Gibbs thought he understood, she was clinging on to the one person who had offered her comfort since she got news of Tim, and maybe she was letting Gibbs know he'd done something wrong, he'd let her Timmy get hurt.

He watched Tony and Ziva make their way into the room and sit down on the row of seats opposite Ducky and Abby, Tony leaned forward ready to offer a word of comfort, but Ducky stopped him with a quick shake of the head. Tony mouthed the words, "Too soon?" and Ducky smiled, he knew they'd understand. What Abby needed was time to process the fact that the person who had become closer to her than any other living soul had almost died, could still lose this ultimate battle; every time the door opened she was half hoping and half dreading that someone would be bringing news of Tim, living on her nerves in a way she never had before.

"Any more news Duck?"

"Nothing Jethro, I am hoping the ER resident will spare us a few moments at the end of his shift, but thus far we are as you see us..."

"Looks like you could both use a break; you want to go get something to drink?"

"No!" For the first time Abby spoke. "No, I have to stay, if they come..."

"Hush my dear, why don't we see if Jethro will get some drinks and bring them back here?"

"I can do that, Tony, I could use a hand."

"On it Boss." Tony followed Gibbs into the corridor and they headed for the nearest vending machine. They both knew the drinks would taste nothing like they were supposed to, they also knew it wouldn't matter, drinking the stuff would give them something to do. "Boss..."

"I don't know Tony, wish I did, all we can do is wait."

Gibbs hated waiting, he'd never been a patient man, and was always at his best when he had something to do. He'd spent too many hours waiting for news of people he cared for, both in a combat zone and out of one, when Tony had the plague he'd been busy enough not to have too much time to wait, but there was time enough to fear the worst. Tony had come back from the brink, Tim would too, he had to.

"Abby...she...I've never seen her like this Boss." When they got to the hospital Tony had expected to be met by whirlwind Abby, full of questions, of emotion, clinging on to them all one by one, to feel the full force of her boundless energy; nothing could have prepared him for the silent, tear-stained Abby who sat beside Ducky barely moving a muscle except to stare at the door, willing it to open, for someone to come with news of Tim.

"She's never dealt with anything like this before Tony."

"But when you were in the explosion...she was in overdrive, Jenny...she told me."

Gibbs gave a brief smile. "She told me too, it's different Tony, Abby cares for each and every one of us, it's the way she is, she'd fight for us if she had to, but Tim..."

"He's special huh?"

"Ya think?"

Tony pushed open the door and they handed out the drinks. Gibbs offered his old friend a fresh cup of tea, and promised himself he'd send him home the minute they had news, sometimes he forgot how old Ducky was, but right now he looked every one of his years.

"Duck, have you heard from Jimmy?"

"He has the preliminary autopsy findings, you were far too kind, Dylan died instantly, I would that he had suffered, a great deal."

Gibbs leaned back in his chair. "He was ready to fire again Duck, just had to take him down."

"Ah, I see." Ducky took a sip from his Styrofoam cup and grimaced. "This really is execrable, but most welcome nonetheless."

They sat together and as he glanced round at the tense faces Gibbs was struck by the notion that this was the first time he'd sat in a waiting room fearing the worst for one of his team. They'd had scrapes and bruises, even the occasional broken bone; he'd never sat and waited for news of one of his team fighting for life in an operating room. The people he'd lost, they'd slipped through his fingers before he could do anything, Shannon and Kelly were gone when he was on another continent, Kate and Paula, a split second and they were lost forever, Jenny, Mike too...he remained convinced they chose their endings, and given their options, it was a good way to go. But for Tim, this was wrong in every possible way; he'd gone into Inanna and done a great job, gaining the trust of a vulnerable employee who would never have opened up to the police, he'd used his instincts and signposted them in the direction of Vince Lockhart, he'd offered protection to a family in need, and on top of that he'd improved the design of a jetpack. As if that wasn't enough, he'd learned to fly one too. He should be buying them all drinks right now, celebrating a job well done, not undergoing life saving surgery.

Abby looked up at the clock again, they should have heard something by now, it was taking too long. "Gibbs, he...Tim, he's going to be okay, isn't he? If anything happened now, just when we're working things out..."

He sat beside her and this time he offered his arms, and she leaned into him and let him hold her. "He's come this far Abs, and he has so much to live for, he won't give up."

She snuggled closer and he heard a stifled sob. "We saw them Gibbs, the ER doctors, after he went up to surgery, we saw the way they looked..."

"Hush now Abigail, I told you before, they were simply worn out after dealing with injuries as traumatic as those suffered by young Timothy, saving a life, it is exhausting work."

Tony stood behind Abby and gently stroked her hair. "Abs, you should get some rest, we can wait for news and call you when we hear anything."

"Tony is right for once Abby, you too Ducky, perhaps a bat nap would do you both good."

Ducky gave a tired smile at Ziva's small attempt to lighten the mood. "Thank you my dear, but I promised Penny that I would call her the minute Timothy comes out of surgery." He glanced at his watch. "Given the passage of time, she may arrive before that happens, but until she arrives I will wait."

"What about his parents Duck, are they on the way?"

"Indeed they are, the Admiral was attending a conference in Japan, and Timothy's mother accompanied him, I believe SecNav is working to get them here as soon as possible, but it could be tomorrow morning before they arrive. Sarah is on a Caribbean cruise with her boyfriend, and her parents have asked that she not be told anything until they have seen Timothy."

"Long way to travel waiting to hear...Duck, did you see him?"

Ducky shook his head. "We were not permitted to see Timothy before he went for surgery. Jethro, you saw him, you all did, it must have been...difficult."

Without thinking Tony spoke for all of them. "Terrifying more like, oh Abs, I didn't mean..."

She tried to smile through her tears. "It's okay Tony, we've been trying not to think about it too much, and even though I wanted to see him, just to hold his hand and...you know...I think it's for the best I didn't see, I think maybe it would have broken my heart."

Gibbs wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. "Abs, I'm not going to lie to you, he was hurting, but he said your name, he'll fight with everything he has to stay with you."

For the first time since they'd arrived a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes. "Do you mean that, really?"

"For a chance to be with you, he'd battle the devil himself."

"I've been so stupid for so long, pushing him away because I wanted my precious freedom, freedom for what? To date more whack jobs and losers...Tim...he was always there, so I just took him for granted , and now...oh Ducky it's been so long, what if...?"

Taking her hands in his Ducky looked her in the eye. "We talked about this; the longer he's in surgery, the more chance he has of getting through this. Doctor Graffham is one of the finest trauma surgeons on the East Coast, and he has an excellent team with him, Timothy couldn't be in better hands."

They settled down to wait, every few minutes one or other of them looked up at the clock, and every few minutes they wondered whether the hands were moving or whether time had stopped and they were locked in some hideous purgatory where every second lasted a minute and every minute an hour...

The door opened with a sharp click and five heads turned to witness a whirlwind of colour sweep into the room. Ducky rose immediately, and went to greet her. "Penelope, I do so wish we were meeting again under happier circumstances."

"How is he; where? I have to go to him."

"Come sit with us my dear, Timothy is still in surgery."

Penelope Langston stared at Ducky. "He can't be! Donald, you called me eight hours ago…" Gibbs saw her sway, quickly grabbed her arm and guided her to the chair beside Abby. She barely felt Abby's arm round her shoulders, but she heard Gibbs announce a coffee run.

"When did you last have something to drink, or eat?"

"I…on the plane? I don't remember…"

Ducky glanced up at Gibbs. "Could you get some snacks to go along with the drinks Jethro? We should all keep up our strength; Timothy will need us to be there for him later."

Ziva put a restraining hand on Gibbs' arm. "You stay here; Tony and I will go for supplies."

Tony and Ziva returned a few minutes later and at Abby's urging Penny took a few bites from a candy bar and drank some sweet tea. As she finished the cup she turned to Gibbs. "Were you with him…when he was…hurt?"

Gibbs didn't flinch under her piercing gaze, but deep down he felt the guilt that always came when one of his people was hurt on his watch. "We were close, Tim was; he was undercover, did he tell you?"

With a wistful smile she nodded. "He was so exited, finally to be working with jetpack technology; it was a dream come true…"

"He was doing a great job, not just for us, for the company where he was working; he got to fly Ms Langston."

"Timothy? Oh, he must have been in seventh heaven…wait, is that what happened, did he crash?"

Abby squeezed her hand tight and whispered. "He…Tim was flying Penny, but he was shot."

"No…that can't be right, he told me he'd be doing geek work, I'm always telling him he sells himself short when he uses that term, he's so much more…he said it would be computer stuff, how could he be shot?"

Gibbs stooped in front of her. "Tim was doing a demonstration flight for some military brass and he saw something, a child in danger, he didn't hesitate, flew over to help. We followed as fast as we could only…there was another man, he fired…"

"Did you get him?"

"Yeah, Ms Lan…"

"Penny please, even my grandchildren call me…" She turned to Ducky with real fear in her eyes. "Will he be alright Donald, did you see him?"

"He is getting the very best care my dear. There was a team of paramedics at the test site so he was getting professional help within moments of being hit, the site is just over a mile from Bethesda. Timothy was being treated here in the ER quicker than most trauma patients even have the ambulance get to them. They are precious minutes Penny, and they make a world of difference to the doctors."

She brushed off Abby's hand and got to her feet. "The doctor, why didn't I think of that? I should talk to his doctor."

Ducky stood beside her and guided her back to the chair. "Timothy's doctors are still working on him, he's still in surgery."

"I remember…you said…I'm scared Donald."

"I know my dear; sit with us now and we will wait together."

Tony was about to open his mouth and ask where the heck the ER doctor had got to, but a quick shake of the head from Ziva told him it was time to stay silent. He could stay quiet, but he had too much nervous energy to stay still, so he collected the empty cups and wrappers and dropped them in the trash. He'd just got back to his chair when the door opened again, and this time it was a doctor who walked into the waiting room; Ducky got up to greet him.

"Doctor Mallard, I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here, things have been pretty busy."

"Not at all Doctor Kosygan, your patients must come first; if there is anything you can tell us about Timothy's condition, this is Penelope Langston, Timothy's grandmother, we are.."

"They are family too Doctor, please tell me, is he going to be alright?" It was Penny's turn to reach out for Abby's hand, seeking physical as well as emotional support.

"I wish I could give you a definitive answer Ms Langston, but at this stage all I can tell you is your grandson is a fighter, and he's lucky too."

"Lucky! He had two slugs fired into his chest, how can he be...?" Tony's outburst was stilled by a single glance from Gibbs.

"Let the doc finish Tony."

Doctor Kosygan sat down and addressed the group once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't phrase that well. What I meant was, given what happened to him, Agent McGee was lucky to have such good help, and early too. The Golden Hour we call it, the better the quality of care in the first minutes after a trauma, the better are the chances for a total recovery." He noticed a few tentative smiles on the faces around him. "Let me temper that by saying Agent McGee..."

Penny leaned forward, her face now a mask of tension. "Tim please, his name is Tim."

The doctor smiled briefly. "Tim is still in very critical condition. The bullet wounds alone would have been devastating, but one of the bullets ricocheted off the buckle on his harness causing tiny fragments, like shrapnel to break off and pierce his chest. Then there was the fall; he has a broken collarbone, ruptured spleen." The smiles were gone, to be replaced by looks of shock and dismay.

Dusky sighed. "No wonder he has been in surgery so long. Doctor, I would like to thank you for all the efforts you and your team made to ensure Timothy got to the OR."

"No call for thanks, we did our job, and like I said, he was lucky. If we hadn't been so close the pericardial tamponade could have been...never mind, we stabilised him and he's in good hands now. I checked in on the OR before I came; Tim's holding on and they were just about ready to finish up. Lance...Doctor Graffham, will come talk with you as soon as he's able. Ms Langston, Tim has already got over two big hurdles, he made it to the hospital and he's made it through surgery. I look around and I see he's got a great support network."

"The best Doctor Kosygan."

"That's good to know Doctor Mallard, Tim's going to need a lot of help from here on in."

"He'll get it Doctor, I can promise that. Thank you again for what you did for Timothy, rest well tonight, you deserve it."

With handshakes all round and hugs from Abby and Penny, Gregor Kosygan headed home, grateful as he always was when a critical patient made it to the OR.

It was Ziva who was first to ask the question he'd been expecting. "Ducky, pericardial...was something wrong with his heart?"

Torn between telling the truth or softening the blow, Ducky glanced at Penny, she squared her shoulders and did her best to smile. "Tell us Donald, please."

"Very well, with penetrating chest injuries there is a risk, a small one it is true, but sometimes blood seeps into the sac around the heart. As the sac fills it compresses the heart, if it's not diagnosed and treated at once..."

"He could have died out there, if the medics hadn't been on site, Tim..." Tony felt like he couldn't breathe, that the air had been sucked out of the room...

"Easy Tony, breathe deep." Gibbs had managed to support his Senior Field Agent before he slipped to the floor. "You okay now?"

"Me...doesn't matter about me...Just hit me I guess, we really could have lost him." He was embarrassed to find Gibbs and Ziva practically holding him upright, to see the others watching him with concern. They shouldn't be thinking about him, there was only one person who should be the focus of attention. "Doctor Kosygan said the surgery's almost done, we'll get to see Tim soon, talk to him...we need that...after so long, he needs us too, once we're together again, everything will be better, I know it."


	12. Chapter 12

7

**Chapter Twelve**

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had been wrong a few times in his life, okay, maybe more times than he cared to remember; but never had he been more wrong than when he told everyone seeing Tim would make things better. Things hadn't got any better for Tim, or his family and friends in the days that followed; at times they got a lot worse.

That first night they'd only been allowed to look through the observation window in the ICU; Tony couldn't imagine how Penny felt, or Abby, but he felt like his guts were being torn inside out. His friend looked...Tony struggled to come up with a word that could describe how bad...From their vantage point Tim looked more dead than alive, more machine than man, there were so many tubes, Tony tried to work out what they were all for, but in the end he decided it didn't matter, if they were helping to keep Tim alive then he didn't care if the room was full of machinery.

He'd heard words, lots of words he couldn't understand, like cavitation, fragmentation, tracheotomy, thoracotomy incision, vasopressors, sats...Ducky had a troubled expression on his face, but he nodded a few times, so Tony figured he knew what the surgeon was talking about. Then Tony heard some words he understood all too well.

"You don't need me to tell you that the next forty-eight hours are crucial to his long-term recovery Doctor Mallard, he's stable currently, and we're going to do everything we can to keep him that way."

"Of course Doctor, but if you could just allow his grandmother a few..."

The tall surgeon shook his head. "Not tonight, it's late, Tim is so heavily sedated he will be unaware of his surroundings at this point, in the morning, when he has had a few more hours total rest, then I will allow visitors."

Catching sight of the anguished expressions on Penny and Abby's faces, Ducky tried again. "Doctor Graffham, you are a gifted surgeon, and I am sure Timothy owes you his life; but I fear you have little understanding of the human heart. Timothy needs to have people close, people who love him."

"He is my patient, and for now he needs complete rest; no visitors until morning, and that's my final word."

Penny and Abby leaned their foreheads against the glass in a vain attempt to feel as close to Tim as they could. Abby whispered. "Ducky, can we please go to him, just to...to let him know we're here?"

"I wish you could my dear, but we must accede to the doctor's wishes. Tomorrow, when he's a little stronger you can sit with Timothy, if his family permit."

Penny put her arm round Abby's shoulders with a tearful smile. "There's no permission required for Abby, for any of you, Tim's going to need every one of us to be here for him."

Reluctantly, they all headed home to try and get some sleep. At Ducky's insistence Penny used his guest room and Ziva took Abby to her place.

"We will call at your apartment and get some clothes for a few days Abby; I do not think it is good for you to be alone."

NCIS NCIS

None of them had been alone after that night, seeing Tim struggle day and night to survive was a mentally exhausting process, and they gained strength from being together. They all knew it had to be so much harder for Tim, but he wasn't able to tell them anything, he remained unconscious, seemingly unaware of everything that was going on around him. He didn't wake when his parents arrived, nor when Sarah flew in from her cruise, full of recriminations that she hadn't been contacted earlier, he remained oblivious to all the invasive treatments, and the indignities that went with being critically ill in an ICU.

His NCIS family got to know his blood family, it was tough at first, they weren't meeting under the best of circumstances; everyone was on edge, and they all knew Tim and his father weren't on the best of terms. Their first meeting with the Admiral hadn't boded well for their future dealings; he came in like a man well used to giving orders, and having them obeyed instantly, but after a few hours listening to the doctors and sitting at his son's bedside the military man faded away, and the father came to the fore.

As the hours ticked by, and Tim had continued to hold on to life, his mom and dad were happy to share their vigil with Tim's friends, not because it gave them the opportunity to rest, but because they knew how important these people were in Tim's life.

There had been moments of panic, hours of fear; the first came two days into their vigil, when the monitor alarms sounded an ear-splitting crescendo and Tim was rushed back into the OR. His mother almost collapsed then, but Abby held her close. "It's okay Theresa, Tim has so much to live for; his family and friends, his work...us, he won't give up...he promised me he'd be okay, Tim always keeps his promises."

The surgery was a success, Tim made it through, but by the end of the next day it looked like he wouldn't be able to keep his promise after all. His temperature rose rapidly and the doctors diagnosed an infection, it was something they'd been warned about, but four days after the shooting they'd been hoping Tim had escaped that particular problem. He hadn't; and after two days and nights watching him fight the fever, having to wear masks and gowns when they were with him, seeing his medical team dressed the same way, everyone anxious not bring in any more bacteria to add to the ones Tim was already battling, each of them was more exhausted and anxious than they'd have believed possible.

Eventually, Tim's temperature stabilised and his restless trembling stilled, he was even taken off the ventilator for the first time. Ducky ordered everyone home, and even though it had taken all of his persuasive skills he was content to see them go. "Tony and I will stay with Timothy this afternoon; tonight, I think the young man will require peace and quiet to recover from his ordeal."

Mid way through the afternoon, Tony had spotted Ducky stifling a yawn. "Ducky, you should get out of here, I got some sleep last night, I know for a fact you were in here with Tim and his dad."

Ducky was about to shake his head when another yawn almost had his jaw cracking. "You know Tony, I think I will take you up on your kind offer, are you sure you..."

"Go Ducky, I have his six."

Tony pulled his chair closer to Tim's bed, listening to the machine sounds that had become so much a part of his life, he knew the sounds intimately now, knew when something was amiss, when a tone changed...Right now everything was as it should be, Tony shook his head sadly, how quickly this had become the norm...his team mate, his friend, so pale, so unlike the vibrant man who'd embarked on his dream mission. How quickly it had turned into a nightmare, for all of them. It was hard to watch him, restless through the fever, yet now so still, at times it seemed like he was going to wake up at last, to open his eyes and say something, so far it hadn't happened. They'd talked to him, read to him, played music, sometimes just sat quiet and held his hand, but nothing seemed to penetrate his consciousness, not even his mom or Abby.

"Come on Tim, you're scaring me...no, I shouldn't say stuff like that...take all the time you need. Hey, did we tell you? The people from Inanna have been asking after you every day, they even call you Tim now, not Tyler. They can't visit 'til you're on a normal ward, but I said I'd tell you they were asking, I completely forgot...so much going on round here." He picked up the book they were currently reading to Tim.

"You have to wake up soon so we can watch a movie together; all this reading is ruining my reputation. Okay here goes 'The new murders had nudged the first set of bones off Milo's screen. But I couldn't let go of the baby in the blue box. Kept thinking about Salome Greiner's tension when I'd asked about a Duesenberg-driving doctor.'"

NCIS NCIS

"You're looking better Tim, Abby's going to be happy to see that; she'll be here later, your mom persuaded her to go with her for a sauna and massage. It's been a tough few days for them, for you too..."

Gibbs leaned a little closer. "Fornell came by yesterday; you know Vance turned over the investigation to the FBI...Tobias was already working on a possible terrorist angle and we kinda lost focus on the case, never had that happen to me before except maybe after Kate..." Was it Gibbs' imagination, or did Tim's heart rate fluctuate for a few seconds, he hesitated, should he call for the nurse? He studied the monitor for a full minute, seemed normal, but he'd keep an eye on it. "They did good work Tim; just don't tell Tobias I said that. Preston, he was in deep with Dylan, they'd known each other since college, seems like Preston didn't have a problem stealing information from Inanna, but when he got wind of the real reason Dylan wanted the inside track...selling data to an arms cartel out of Singapore, he wanted out. Dylan wasn't having that, so he killed him. Would have got you too, looks like his paymasters dumped him and he decided someone had to pay...you keep fighting Tim; I know it's hard, but you've come so far."

"Jethro, any change?" Andrew McGee hurried into the room, stood beside his son's bed and gently squeezed Tim's hand.

"No, but Ducky says that's good, after the fever, he needs the rest."

Andrew nodded and sat down beside Gibbs. "The docs say he can hear us only I'm not so sure, Tim, he was always so eager to please me...and his mom; if he could really hear us he'd wake up, even if it was just to tell me what a stupid stubborn idiot I've been all these years...Jethro, did you see?"

"Sure did." They'd both noticed the slight movement of Tim's head and the twitch of his hand. "Tim..." As fast as it came the movement stilled and the two men settled back to watch and wait once more.

For two more days they waited, and if anything the watching became even more difficult. Tim became restless and unpredictable, sometime lashing out at anyone who got close to him, sometimes trying to speak, at least that's what it seemed like; he opened his mouth, seemed like he was trying to make a sound, but other than a hoarse, unintelligible whisper, there was nothing. Due to his inactivity, and the high levels of medication he was on, his body started to become bloated and swollen, and it was almost as if the man they were watching was a stranger.

On the eighth night of his stay in the ICU, with Ziva and Tony keeping watch, Tim opened his eyes for the first time, but the momentary delight his watchers felt disappeared as soon as they saw the expression of abject panic on his face. Before they had time to react Tim flung himself to the side, trying desperately to escape the IV lines and monitor leads that held him to the bed; alarms shrieked and medical staff came running.

They managed to get him settled before any lasting damage was done, but he seemed to calm completely only when Abby was talking to him, or holding his hand. When she wasn't around his heart rate fluctuated and his eyes seemed restless under their lids, not even his mom or his sister could get him to rest the way Abby did, so the doctors gave in and allowed her to stay as long as she liked, even when Tim was being bathed or having yet more tests.

Despite the setbacks and the distressing sight of Tim's restless movement, he was making progress. His body was recovering little by little, day by day, and after nine days in the ICU his doctors decided it was time to transfer him to the High Dependency Unit. His mom wasn't sure it was the right move. "Tim's still so weak, and he hasn't even woken up properly; shouldn't he stay a little longer?"

Ducky ushered her to one of the seats in the waiting area. "Theresa, I understand your fears, but Timothy will be getting round the clock care, just as he does here, it will be less invasive, and I think that will help him to relax a little."

She turned to Ducky with hope in her eyes. "Do you think he'll wake up when he's out of there?"

"I'm certain he will my dear, we must all be patient for a little while longer. Timothy has done remarkably well to get this far, when you consider what his body has been through…his mind too. Remember what I told you about the possible emotional impact of a stay in the ICU?"

Theresa nodded sadly, she'd had bad dreams thinking what might be going through her only son's mind…Andrew took her hand, he glanced over at the glass doors leading to the ICU. "Tess, Ducky knows what's best. It will be good for Tim to be out of there, it must seem like a prison to him. He'll do better when he can see the daylight."

After his transfer to the less rigid regime of the HDU Tim did indeed seem to find a kind of peace, at least for 24 hours. By the tenth day after the shooting he was making coherent sounds at last, but what he had to say was deeply troubling to all those who spent time with him. His whispered pleas for mercy, his heartbreaking request to be allowed to die...it was too much for Sarah, she couldn't bear to watch, or listen. The others managed to stay, but it was tough, and Ducky suggested they each spend one hour with Tim, any longer was asking a great deal of those who loved him.

Tim's parents took first watch, and Theresa fought back the tears as she listened to Tim asking for release from his agony. "Oh darling, I wish I could take away your pain, I do...please try to rest, you don't have to hurry back on our account, when you're ready...Drew, why is there so much pain? Doctor Easton said the medication was adequate to stop this..." She grasped her son's hand as he cried out again, and barely felt her husband's hand on her shoulder.

"Ducky told us Tess, remember, it's part of the delirium...Tim isn't feeling the pain as it is now, his subconscious is bringing the pain at the time of his shooting to the forefront."

"I remember... Ducky said the pain overwhelmed all other feelings, physical and emotional, it sounded awful, and now it's happening to our son." There was another anguished cry from the bed, Theresa ran her fingers down his cheek and whispered meaningless soothing words until he settled back on his pillows once more.

It was late in the day, Gibbs and Abby had been with Tim for a few minutes when he started to become restless again, Abby reached out as she had done so often and laid her hand on his arm, he tried to pull his arm away and whispered, "Get off me." Abby tried to soothe him but he called out again, this time his voice was stronger. "No!"

"Stop…please…can't do…this…kill me…please…"

His eyes closed and a trembling hand reached out for his.

"Gibbs, why doesn't he recognise us? He opens his eyes, but it's like he doesn't see who's right beside him."

"Abs, he's been to hell and back, God knows what he sees when he wakes up." He stood behind her, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "We need to give him time, be here for him."

Fresh tears fell down her cheeks. "He promised me…it's been ten days Gibbs, and he's still so sick…"

Gibbs pulled up a chair beside Abby and let her lean against him. She'd be so strong, he hated to think she might be crumbling now, when it looked like Tim was finally going to be able to communicate with them. She had been their rock throughout Tim's ordeal, through the turmoil, the trauma, the terror; there had been Abby, the very antithesis of Energizer Abby, She had been calm, still, almost serene in her unshakeable belief that Tim would get through this. Yet now, when he was getting ready to rejoin them she was starting to fall apart. It shouldn't come as a surprise, she'd slept less than any of them, she'd spent time with Tim's family as well as being there for Tim every minute she was allowed.

"Abby..."

"I'm not leaving Gibbs, I'll be okay now, just...it's hard you know?"

"I know Abs, and there's no shame in admitting you could use some rest."

She shook her head and reached out again for Tim, taking his hand in hers as she had done so many times since he'd been hurt so badly, her Tim, her...dare she admit it even to herself, her one and only love...she felt a slight pressure on her hand and let out an audible gasp. He was squeezing her fingers, there was barely any pressure it was true, but for the first time Tim was actually interacting with one of his visitors, she leaned a little closer.

"Tim, oh Tim, we've been waiting so long."

His eyes fluttered open, and slowly he turned his head. "Ab...Abby..."

"I'm here Tim, I'm right here."

Tony is reading from _Guilt_ by Jonathan Kellerman, it's an excellent book!


	13. Chapter 13

6

**Chapter Thirteen**

Tim tried to focus on her voice, she seemed so far away, yet wasn't she holding his hand...? "Tell...tell you...some...thing...can't..."

"Shh, it's okay Tim, you have lots of time to tell me everything, we have to leave you with the doctor, just for a few minutes; I'll call your mom and dad, they'll want to come right over." He held her hand as tight as he could and Abby bent her head and kissed his fingers.

"Don't you worry, I'm not going far, and as soon as the doc's finished I'll be back."

"P...promise?"

"They'd have to lock me up to keep me away." She planted a light kiss on his forehead and he let go of her hand; Gibbs stepped aside as Abby headed out to spread the news, he laid his hand gently on Tim's shoulder. "Good work Tim, real good work."

The good work continued in the following days, and it seemed like his dad had been right, now that he could see the natural light of day rather than the constant artificial light of the ICU Tim became more settled, and his strength started to return. Improvements happened by inches it was true, but every day there were improvements, both to Tim's physical and mental well-being. His sleep wasn't without nightmares; he couldn't get his unconscious mind to understand what his conscious mind was only just coming to terms with. The men and women who'd been at his side since the shooting hadn't been torturing him, trying to kill him; they'd been helping. The vague images he could remember, at least he thought he could remember, of people in masks, people sticking him with needles, cutting him, holding him down when he tried to escape...they were all wrong. Ducky had tried to explain about the delirium that could come with an extended stay in the ICU, and that Tim's fever had only served to make things worse.

"You may never remember everything Timothy, and perhaps it is just as well, you have been...well, it would not be an exaggeration to say you have been at death's door. Coming back from there was never going to be an easy journey, and you're still only part way along the road. When you are stronger, you may want to know more of what happened to you the last two weeks, and if that is the case, we...all of us have been contributing to a diary of your recovery."

"A diary? Can I see it Ducky, maybe it will fill in some of the gaps."

Ducky smiled, it was good to see some of Tim's trademark eagerness to learn returning, however, this was not the time. "Not yet dear boy, some of our writings are rather...intense, and some of the medical detail is very graphic. It is recommended these diaries are not viewed until at least one month after discharge from the ICU, I think it is prudent we wait."

"If you say so...Ducky...is it okay to be scared? I feel like...I don't know, like my whole life is on quicksand...like I'm going to get sucked under." Tim was getting agitated, and his heartbeat was racing.

Ducky pulled his chair closer to the bed. "Good Lord Timothy, not only is it alright to be scared, I would have been absolutely amazed if you were feeling otherwise. To go through such times as you have done and emerge unscathed, it would have been miraculous, and we have already had our miracle I think."

Tim smiled, and allowed himself to relax against his pillows. "Guess you're right Ducky, Ziva told me...I had a couple of real lucky breaks, don't recall them right now."

"It's unlikely you will ever recall details of the events after you were shot, and given how painful the one memory you have of the shooting has turned out to be, perhaps it is just as well, give it time, you will remember more, all you have to do is let the healing process continue."

During the next few days memories returned, erratic at first; Tim didn't remember much about his undercover mission, fragments, names, he recalled Richie and Lucy, and became quite agitated until Gibbs assured him they were safe, and that Lockhart would be going to prison for a long time.

"The financial misdealing might have got him easy time, but taking Richie from school, threatening him with a knife; he'll be a very old man before he breathes free air again."

"There's no more danger?"

"Not from Lockhart, and the DoD have put round the clock security on Inanna. Tim...David Oster and Sean Elwood have asked if they can visit, Lucy Brogan too."

Tim scraped his hand through his hair, wincing a little as the sudden movement caused a spasm of pain in his chest. Gibbs reached out for the call button, but Tim shook his head. "I'm okay Boss, just getting used to all the names...sometimes I can't get them straight in my head."

"Don't force it Tim, when you're ready."

It was to be a few days more before they could consider allowing Tim more visitors. His physical therapy sessions were exhausting, and Tim barely had the energy to have meaningful conversations with the people who had been by his side throughout his ordeal; it wasn't likely he'd be ready for people he could barely remember. At times he had clear pictures of what had happened at Inanna, but at others he was so confused about everything he lashed out at those who were closest to him; not physically, he didn't have the strength to fight anyone. But sometimes in his frustration at what he saw as the lack of progress in his recovery, he said things he was later to regret deeply.

Everyone told him they understood and tried to stop him apologising, but Tim couldn't always forgive himself. He lay wakeful and fretful; was this how his life was going to be, would he ever be the way he was before? Tim hated the look of hurt he saw on people's faces when he took out his frustration on them, they always covered it quickly, but he saw it...problem was he just couldn't seem to stop himself. Sometimes it felt like he was turning into a monster who couldn't stop hurting the people who loved him, it was cruel and he didn't know how to stop, maybe the only way to protect them was to stop seeing them...

Slowly a plan formed in Tim's confused mind, he convinced himself it was for the best, he'd make sure they stopped visiting, and that way he'd stop hurting them. Tough as it would be he also knew where to start; later that morning after another exhausting session in the gym Tim was relaxing on his bed when Abby breezed in for her customary visit.

She was hoping he'd be feeling a little better today, for a while, after he had finally been rid of the much hated catheter he seemed to be happier, but the last couple of days...

"Hey Tim, you're looking good, being up and about suits you."

He gave a brief smile. "Who would have thought going to the bathroom by myself would have been such a big deal, feels like I've won the lottery."

Abby grinned, this was a little more like it; it was so good to have him sitting up in bed, and actually having a real conversation. "Guess you have Tim, all the doctors told us how lucky it was you got professional help so fast, I've had nightmares thinking what could have happened if the test site had been out in the wilds, or if Inanna didn't have the paramedics..."

"Hey Abs." Tim reached out and gripped her hand tight. "We said it was time to start looking forward, not back."

"I know...and I'm trying, only..." She didn't want to tell him while he was still in the hospital, but she didn't think she'd ever be able to stop looking back to those days, looking forward was hard when your dreams were filled with images of the man you loved crying out in pain, fighting for his very existence.

"Must have been tough...watching...I was out of it." Tim took a deep breath and decided if he didn't tell her now, he'd lose his nerve. "Abby, I...you mean so much to me, and what you've done, you and the others, not sure I would have made it through without you..."

Abby was starting to feel nervous, what was this leading to? "Tim, what is it? Tell me."

He licked his dry lips and started afresh. "I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me...when I get out of here, I have to start doing things for myself. You...you should take some time out, spend time doing what you want to do."

"But Tim, this is what I want to do...I want to help you for as long as you need me."

"No Abs." He steeled himself to say the words. "I'm not going to hold you back, you're a free spirit, always have been, sticking with me...you'll hate it, oh not at first, but given time..."

She pulled her hand from his and leapt to her feet. "How can you? I love you, don't you see? Tim, all I want is to be with you."

Sadly Tim shook his head. "You say that now, and I get where you're coming from, I've been in a bad place and you...you've helped me back, but I don't want to see you look at me like some poor wounded puppy, I have to do this alone Abs." He swallowed hard, if she didn't go soon he'd ruin everything by crying, he had only one more option. "Abby, I don't know how much clearer I have to be, I don't want you around any longer, don't you get it, I can do this without your help, why don't you get out of here, find another charity case? I'm doing fine, I can get along without you, go!"

For a few seconds he thought she wasn't going to leave, that his great strategy to give her an escape clause was doomed to failure, but after a few heartbeats when she stared at him, her face a mask of incomprehension and hurt, she gasped back a sob and ran to the door.

"Abby, what's wrong, is it Tim, has something happened...?" Andrew McGee watched her run down the corridor, torn between the urge to run after her and the desire to know what had caused her flight he pushed open the door to Tim's room and wasn't surprised to find his son crying. "Tim, what happened?"

It took a few moments for him to regain some composure. "I gave Abby her get out of jail card, didn't want her sticking around out of some misguided sense of responsibility...like I can only do this if she's here."

Andrew took his customary place at his son's bedside. "Isn't it up to Abby whether she stays or goes?"

"I had to let her go Dad, I'm not good to be around right now, and I...I don't want her pity."

"You think it was pity made her sit with you hour after hour, talk to you, keep you calm when the demons came? She was the only one who could help you then Tim, as soon as she touched you...you could rest, but only when she was there. She learned how to massage your hands and feet to help with your circulation and the swelling, showed your mom too, Abby didn't do any of that out of pity Tim; she did it out of love. Son, I know I have no right to tell you how to live your life, but don't let her go, from what I've seen you and Abby belong together."

Tim lay back on his pillows and took a moment to get over the shock of such a long speech from his man of few words father, was his dad right? "I...I get so confused...everything I say...keep hurting people...I want her, but I don't want to hurt her, and we...we tried before, being together...didn't work..."

"So you don't believe in second chances? You were already trying again, Abby told us, and she said you were happy together; your life has been turned upside down Tim, and it will take time to adjust to everything, give yourself time to heal, just don't shut yourself away from people who care for you, least of all a woman who loves you the way Abby does."

"Do you really think...?"

Andrew shook his head, sometimes his brilliant son was really stupid. "I don't think, I know."

Tim reached out for the beaker beside his bed and took a drink, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts, was this another trick his mind was playing on him, or was his dad right? Only one way to find out. "Dad, would you go see if Abby's still around, I need to talk with her, if she'll listen."

Tim spent twenty anxious minutes waiting for Abby to come back, hoping against hope that he hadn't gone too far and pushed her away forever, He didn't take his eyes off the door and when it started to open slowly, he held his breath. It opened fully and there she stood, her eyes still shining with the tears she'd shed, dark mascara staining her cheeks.

"Oh Abby, I'm so sorry I…I'm pretty mixed-up right now…crazy sometimes, hitting out at you…I can't ask you to forgive me, what I said…"

Abby covered the ground between the door and Tim's bed in a rush and enfolded him in the gentlest of hugs. "Your dad told me…Tim, you could never be a burden to me, don't you see? You mean everything to me; I could no more walk out on you than…than Gibbs could date a blonde."

For a few minutes Tim couldn't speak, he simply held her close, breathing in the wonderful scent of Abby, the woman he loved.

"Tim, are you okay? You're awful quiet." She took a step back and tilted her head to one side in a gesture that always made him smile.

"I wish…" Before he could say another word Abby put a finger on his lips.

"If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'we were together', I'm going to Gibbs slap you."

Tim couldn't help smiling. "Hey! Recovering from major trauma here."

"Then stop wasting your breath on apologies, if you're going to talk, talk…but no more sorry, okay?"

"You got it. Abby, I'm…right now; I'm struggling to get my head around everything that happened. My family, you, the team…you've done so much for me I know that, in the here and now I know it, but…"

She settled herself on the bed beside him and leaned against his shoulder. "Tim, we've all told you, we understand. Your body is recovering…slowly; but that wasn't the only thing that got hurt when Dylan shot you."

He turned away from her and stared out of the window. "So you do think I'm crazy…"

"No! You're not crazy; you almost died Tim, more than once…your whole life has been out of control for so long, I can't imagine how terrifying that must be, and for someone who has protocols and checklists for brushing and flossing…"

Tim laughed quietly. "You've been spending too much time with Tony."

"He knows what he's talking about Tim. When Ducky was explaining to us…about the disorientation and confusion you would be feeling after being so sick, about how much losing control could make people insecure…Tony, he…he said you'd hate that because you always like to be in control, have some order in your life."

"Guess it's what happens when you grow up in a military family, lots of rules and regulations…"

"So now I figure it's high time we had a new set of rules; the Tim and Abby rulebook, how does that sound?"

Tim held out his hand and she snuggled a little closer. "Kinda depends on what the rules are."

"Okay, first rule; we do this together. No more trying to protect me; I'm a big girl Tim and I finally know what I want from life."

"And what's that?"

"You…I want you, and if you still want me…"

"Never stopped wanting you Abs." He bowed his head and covered her lips with his; it wasn't the most passionate kiss they'd ever shared, but it was full of love, tenderness and a new understanding that this was the beginning of something really special. They both knew there would be bumps in the road ahead, but with Abby by his side Tim was sure they could make it. As for Abby, she'd come so close to losing him, and come to realise how hollow and meaningless her life would be without him, she was determined to relish every moment they had together.

"I've wasted so much time, you were right in front of me and I kept looking right through you."

It was his turn to silence her with a fingertip to her lips. "No looking back, remember?"

She smiled and kissed the palm of his hand. "Okay, no more backward glances."

"Promise?"

"I promise Tim, we're moving forward together, and you know what, I figure together we can do just about anything."


	14. Chapter 14

10

**Chapter Fourteen**

It seemed as if Abby's words were true, most of the time. With her help, with the support of his medical team, along with his family and NCIS support teams, Tim's condition improved, and this time he did much better psychologically. Abby and Ducky persuaded him to see a therapist, and Rachel Cranston was called in, she had been shocked to see Tim's physical weakness, but after talking with him for a short time and reading a brief summary of his medical notes she had a simple answer to Ducky's question regarding Tim's current status.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be breaking confidentiality to tell you I'm not surprised he's had several meltdowns, given his injuries, the infection and its attendant delirium, the only surprise is he hasn't had a complete mental breakdown." She glanced toward Tim's room, where Abby was sitting in the chair beside his. "I guess I don't have to look far for the reason he's stayed the right side of sanity."

"Abigail has been his rock, even when...when we feared we would lose him, she would hold on to him, sometimes it felt as if she was afraid to let him go in case he lost his hold on life."

"She could have been right Doct...Ducky. We still don't fully understand everything about the mental processes following traumatic injuries and extended ICU stays, but one thing most studies agree on, having loved ones close can be the difference between life and death." She gave a smile that had Ducky's breath catching in his throat, when Rachel did that she looked so much like dear Caitlyn. "When I did the team psych evaluations, I knew there was something between those two; even I didn't imagine it was something as powerful as this..."

"They had only just reconnected when Timothy was given the undercover assignment, rather charmingly they didn't think anyone knew they were together..."

Rachel threw her head back and laughed. "Seriously? With Gibbs around, they thought they could hide it?"

"Indeed...at least they have no need of artifice any longer, everyone knows and everyone is delighted for them. Doctor Cranston, I was so relieved when you agreed to see our young man; he's been through so many changes of late, I felt it was vital for his mental well-being that his psychologist was someone he knew, and trusted."

"Please call me Rachel Ducky, there was never any doubt I'd take on his case, it will be an honour to help him...he's a remarkable man, yet he seems totally unaware of the impact he has on people around him."

"Our Timothy has turned self-effacement into an art form; however, I think a certain forensic scientist of our acquaintance will leave him in no doubt as to his importance."

"Good; I understand his parents are leaving in two days, when they go Tim will rely on her even more, on all of you. He's doing well taking into consideration what he's been through; but make no mistake Ducky, he's vulnerable, don't expect it to be plain sailing from here on in."

There had been occasional bouts of rough weather during the early days following Tim's release from the hospital. He and Abby stayed at Ducky's; the ME supervised his continued medication, and there were regular visits to his physical therapist, but Tim was anxious and almost fearful. Rachel had warned them this might happen; much as he'd wanted to leave Bethesda Tim had subconsciously come to regard the hospital as his safe haven, a cocoon of round the clock care. Going out into the world; even the comfortable and secure part of it that was Ducky's Georgetown home, had left him at times feeling abandoned and without direction.

"I'm being stupid Abby I know, only…when I was in there every minute of my day was accounted for, least on the days when I knew what was happening. There were tests, drugs, meals were all planned for me, visiting times…I had a plan, even if it was one other people had made for me. Now I get choices; what should I wear, what should I eat? Stuff like that should be easy."

"Speak for yourself Tim; I always have trouble deciding what to wear."

Tim smiled despite himself, he knew she was only saying that to make him feel better, and the thing was, he did feel a little better. "You know something Abs; you're the best medicine there is."

"My medicine only works on one patient Tim. You're doing so well; I know you can't always see it, but you have made such great progress. It's only been a month since the shooting, four weeks since you had a machine breathing for you, and look at you now."

She followed her own advice and took a good look at him, at how much he'd changed since he went to work at Inanna. He was thin, way too thin; his eyes always seemed to be ringed by dark circles, his hair had thinned a little, and most worrying of all, he looked troubled…Abby had been told all of these things were normal for someone who had spent so many days in the ICU, particularly after traumatic injuries, and that given time Tim would get into a regular sleep pattern, he'd start to enjoy his food again. As his strength returned his hair would most likely return to normal, and as his physical strength returned it most likely his fears and insecurities would fade away. Abby sat beside him on the couch and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You'll get through this Tim, you have to learn to take things steady and let yourself heal."

"I know you're right, but I want to be like I was before…I hate being a bu…"

"Stop right there Timothy McGee! If you dare say that word I'll…oh Tim, don't think that for one second. You could never do anything to make yourself a burden to me, to any of us…don't you see Tim, we were falling apart when you were so sick, and having you back, it put us back together again."

Tim leaned back and breathed deep and slow, just like Rachel had told him; when things seemed like they were getting too much, take some time out and breathe..."Were things really that bad?"

Abby caressed his face with the gentlest touch. "When you had to go back into surgery, you were already so weak Tim, and they warned us you might not make it...you should have seen them, your family, Gibbs, Tony...Ziva was crying Tim, and Ducky, he looked so old. I tried to tell them you'd pull through, that you wouldn't let them down, but they were scared...don't think I've ever seen Gibbs scared before."

"I didn't know...guess I was out of it for the really bad stuff."

"You were pretty busy Tim, and so far from us..." For a few moments Abby was back at his bedside watching him fight the demons no one else could see, whispering his anguish to the faceless men and women who haunted him. "It was tough watching you struggle, but you were so strong then, and you're strong now, you survived and every day you get better. I know you want to do everything you could before, and you will...but take it slow, and for goodness' sake, let us help you!"

He held on to Abby as she had held on to him during her long vigil at the hospital, and as he did so he regained a sense of calm he hadn't known since he'd taken to the air on that fateful morning.

Tim heeded Abby's words, and accepted that the pace of his recovery had to be slow, and within days he started to feel much better. Giving himself permission to heal Rachel called it; instead of battling against his limitations he accepted them, and by doing so he was able to approach his therapy, both physical and psychological with optimism, and that was an emotion he hadn't felt in the longest time.

A week into this new order Rachel decided Tim was ready to take the next big step on his road to recovery. "Do you remember Ducky telling you about the diary that was kept during your time at the hospital?"

"Yes, he said I should wait to look at it."

Rachel smiled, got up from her chair and walked over to the filing cabinet behind her desk; she unlocked it and took out a binder. "Ducky asked me to keep this safe here; he was worried you might find it before you were ready. Tim, your family and friends have written in here, and they were writing at a very difficult time in all your lives, reading their thoughts can be a very emotional experience, there's also some medical information and pictures..."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Tim. "Pictures? I can see...what I looked like after...?"

She set the binder on her desk and resumed her customary stance opposite her patient. "You don't have to read it, or look at the pictures if you don't want to Tim, not everyone wants to remember..."

He looked beyond her to the binder, then turned to her with a slightly nervous smile. "I'm ready I think, maybe I should sleep on it to be sure."

"I think that's an excellent idea Tim, I also don't want you looking at this alone; you can read it here and I'll stay with you, or you can read it at home, but have someone with you, and don't try reading it in one go, that would be too much."

The next morning found him sitting at the table in Ducky's light and airy kitchen, it was a Saturday and neither Ducky or Abby had been called in to work.

"Timothy, we don't have to do this right now, the diary is yours, we can look at it whenever you wish."

"I want to start now, it's just..." Tim took a deep breath and opened the binder.

It took most of the weekend to get through the diary, Abby and Ducky didn't leave him alone during the reading process, but a few times Tim had to walk away, literally get out of the house and walk until he regained his composure and was able to continue reading. He hadn't been sure what to expect but the intensity of the emotions written on those pages had taken him by surprise.

Penny had been first to write, and Tim had almost abandoned reading before he got started when he saw the blotches on the page caused by his grandmother's tears. _'You have always been so brave Timothy and so strong, to go against your father took such courage. Show us that strength now, fight for me, for all of us, we love you.'_

He'd been able to look at the pictures, and with Ducky's help he'd come to understand what all the machines were for, and why his body changed the way it did. "It's like looking at a stranger, I don't know how you could all sit there looking at..."

"At a very dear friend who was very sick." Ducky pointed to the picture Tim was staring at so intently. "You were suffering a reaction to the medication, such swelling...it is unpleasant, but very temporary, we didn't care what you looked like, just as long as you were recovering."

"It's so...unreal Ducky, all this, I know it happened to me, but it seems like I wasn't even there..."

"Only to be expected, given your physical injuries and the mental confusion. These diaries are such a good idea, not just for the patient, but for those of us who were watching and waiting. Talking through our fears can be uncomfortable, but writing down our thoughts...you see Timothy, you are not the only one who has been through traumatic times."

Tim was coming to see that, the more he read the more he became deeply affected by what was written in those pages. His mother's heartfelt wish that she could take away Tim's pain and bear it herself; Sarah's outpouring of childhood memories, of times when her big brother came to her rescue, of the love she felt for him that she too often kept to herself. Most surprising of all, his dad wrote of regrets for things said in haste and things left unsaid for far too long, of his desire to get to know his son again and to let him know how proud he was of Tim's career choice. It was after reading his dad's entry that Tim took the first of his walks; it wasn't to be his last.

If he'd been half expecting the high emotion from his family, and from Abby, he had been overwhelmed by the honesty and openness of his colleagues. They meant a lot to each other, he knew that, but to see the depth of their feelings had humbled him, he'd expected some light relief from Tony, but instead he got the inner thoughts of a man who often hid them away for fear of revealing too much of himself. _'I know people have said we're like a family, and I guess I took us for granted, figuring we'd always be together, least until Gibbs finally retires for good. Only you might be leaving us now, it can't happen Tim, if I thought it would work I'd tell you I don't give you permission to die, but it's out of my hands, you look so sick, and the sound of the ventilator is starting to send me crazy, come on Tim, breathe for yourself, don't go, I can't do this job without you. I promise...I was going to write I promise if you live I'll quit ragging on you, problem is I could never keep that promise, but you already know that, sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself. You have to stick around, keep me on the straight and narrow, and one day I'm pretty sure you'll be the one giving the orders, not just to your own team either. I haven't been much for praying since my mom died, but I'm praying now Tim, stay with us.'_

There was one big question that occurred to him over and over as he read the diary, should he talk about what had been written with the people who'd put their innermost thoughts on paper, had they been thinking he wouldn't live to read them, that they'd stay hidden forever? He broached the subject with Ducky, who as always had a wise solution to the problem.

"Why not let them make the first move, they know you are reading the diary this weekend, if they want to talk, let them, but don't be first to bring up the subject, it could be that you are right. I certainly have absolutely no problem discussing what I entered in the diary, my feelings have not changed. I would be bereft if anything were to happen to you, to any of you...we see too much death Timothy and we lose too many who are close to us, but each time it takes something from us, something we can never get back. Had you died, had I seen your body on my table...oh my dear boy I do not think I would have been able to do it again, to cut open a person who means the world to me." Ducky's eyes filled with tears, Tim reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to his friend.

"Hey Ducky..."

"I'm alright Timothy, just a foolish old man who cries too easily."

"Never foolish, and you're the youngest 'old man' I ever knew. Tears are good, that's one thing I know, bottling things up gets you all screwed up inside, I've used up a lot of Kleenex since I woke up, and I'm guessing I'll be using a few more before this weekend is done."

'_They have tried to explain to us what the machines do, how they are helping to keep you alive, and I thank God for them. I do not want to imagine how different your life would have been if the paramedics had not been on hand, without Sean Elwood's foresight you may not have reached Bethesda. Bethesda...it is a wonderful word to me, when I was a young girl my mother told me of the miracles of healing which took place at the healing pool in Jerusalem. I thank God you were strong enough to get here my friend, now you will bathe in the healing waters and return to us, Be'ezrat HaShem...God willing.'_

Abby handed Tim another tissue, and he took it with a watery smile on his face. "Guess I wasn't joking when I told Ducky I'd need plenty of these, Ziva...she doesn't say much about her childhood..."

"Only when it's important Tim, she lost her own siblings and I think we come close to replacing them, you know how much she hates hospitals, but she came every day, even if the team had been working late on a case, she always came to say hi, hold your hand."

"I was so lucky Abs, through all this, to have you there, my family, my friends...you most of all...I'd have been lost without you."

She shook her head vigorously. "No way, you think Gibbs was going to let you go without a fight? You saw what he put in there, he meant it too."

"I had no idea, working like we do, almost living together sometimes; you don't always notice how people see you..."

'_You won't die Tim, you can't, simple as that. You're the fulcrum of this team, and I don't mean the computer stuff. We can't get along without what you can do, but more important than that, we can't get along with who you are. Tony and Ziva can take things to extremes, me too...You keep us from tipping over, you sit there typing away and we almost forget you're there, then you look at one of us, or raise your eyebrows, gets us back on track, don't make us do this without you, I'm not so sure we could do it. I know it's asking a lot, but get through this for us, and I'm going to say the magic word, please Tim, you have to make it, please.'_

Tim put down the diary and held her close, for long moments nothing was said, then he broke the silence. "Abby...in the diary, you never once doubted I'd survive, even Gibbs wasn't sure, but you...how could you be so sure?"

Abby wouldn't tell him of the almost hysterical tears she would shed any time she escaped to the ladies room, or went for a solitary walk in the gardens at the hospital, those moments of weakness were for her alone until he was much, much stronger. "I...I had a few moments of doubt Tim, mostly because I was so scared I'd lost you just when we were starting to be so good together. But when I was sitting with you, I knew you wouldn't leave us, you're my heart and soul Tim, and I just knew you wouldn't go, not without a fight, and I figured just in case you weren't strong enough right then to fight alone, I'd be there whenever you needed me."

He whispered low, words he hoped wouldn't have Abby running from him. "I...I think I'm going to need you for a long, long time Abs."

Tim was rewarded with a megawatt smile, and a kiss that took his breath away. When Abby released him she smiled again. "It's about time we figured out we need each other Tim, are you ready to try...not friends...I want more, if you're ready?"

"I'm ready for anything when I have you, it won't be all roses and sunshine, I still have a way to go...not sure I'm even ready for...you know, the physical side of things...I'm so scared of taking things too fast."

"I keep telling you Tim, when you're ready; I'm willing to wait...anyhow, right now, kissing you is excitement enough for me, everything else will happen when we're ready. Now, you look tired, I think it's time for some supper, and bed."

NCIS NCIS

There were two more events that accelerated Tim's recovery; the first took place a few days after he'd completed the diary. Tim decided he wanted to go back to Bethesda and offer his personal thanks to the people who had worked so hard to keep him alive.

It was good to put names and faces to the people who had aided his recovery, and as Tim moved from the ER to the ICU with Abby making the introductions, he noticed her slightly anxious expression. "I'm fine Abs, don't look so worried. The doctors and nurses worked so hard to help me, and before today all they were to me...well, let's just say I didn't realise they were helping."

"I can't imagine how scary those days must have been for you Tim, so many people probing and prodding; no wonder you thought they were torturing you."

"Hard to believe I could think that now, when you see the great work they do here, I owe them my life."

Tim tried to offer his thanks to the team in the ICU, but the doctor wouldn't hear of it. "You survived Tim, and it looks like you're getting your life back, believe me, that's all the thanks we need."

The other event was a surprise and as he was driven through the streets of DC on a bright, cold November morning Tim started to get the first inklings of where they may be headed. Sure enough Gibbs pulled onto the makeshift parking lot of the Inanna test site. Tim started to feel a little anxious; he'd had a visit from Lucy Brogan and Richie, and they were full of praise for the part Tim played both in saving Richie from Lockhart, and also in helping Richie come to terms with losing his dad, and maybe gaining a step-dad. But the other Inanna employees...he hadn't felt able to look them in the eye, he'd lied to them, pretended to be someone he wasn't, if they rejected him because of his deception..."Boss, I'm not so sure this is a good idea."

"Then it's lucky I haven't asked your opinion, they're running the new DoD inspection flight today, and we wanted to see some jetpack action, figured you might too."

Tim held on tight to the seat and breathed deep and slow, this was a bad idea, why would they make him come out here when he wasn't ready?

"You can let go now Tim, no one's going to hurt you." Abby was starting to think this hadn't been such a good idea after all, but David Oster had practically begged them to get Tim along.

"Don't worry Abs, I'm not having flashbacks, I'm not sure I'll be welcome here."

Tony pulled open the door. "Only one way to find out McFlyboy, Ziva, did you get the blanket from the trunk?"

She held up the woollen blanket as confirmation. "I have it Tony, do not worry McGee, we will see that you do not get cold."

Tim had to smile, here he was worried about having his butt kicked by people he'd lied to on a daily basis, and the team was fearful of him catching a chill. "Okay guys, let's get this over with."

They walked carefully over the uneven ground and before they were through the gate and in the site area proper a cry rang through the air. "He's here, everyone, Tim's here!"

Before he'd gone three more steps Tim was surrounded by Inanna personnel, lab techs, mechanics, admin staff, all of them with big smiles on their faces, Tim was speechless; they looked happy to see him, after all he'd done to them, was it possible they didn't hate him?

"Timothy McGee, welcome to the latest Inanna jetpack demonstration, we have a place reserved for you, and you friends." Sean Elwood beckoned to Tim and his friends to follow, and Tim took another deep breath when he saw the front row was reserved for them.

He looked at Sean and at last a smile dared to cross Tim's face. "I thought...after what happened, I thought you'd never want to see me again."

Sean took a step back. "Are you kidding me? You saved Richie, found out who killed Chris Preston, stopped Lockhart trying to steal our secrets, helped us refine the pack. Heck Tim, you almost died because you were helping us, why on earth would we hate you?"

Gibbs was grinning as he guided Tim to his seat. "Told you this was a good idea, here you go Tim, let's see what this stand-in test pilot is made of."

Tim was still shaking his head in disbelief as he sat on the chair labelled 'Guest of Honor', and he even managed not to groan when Abby insisted he have the warm blanket over his lap. Truth was, he wasn't feeling cold, he felt...happy. He'd been so sure he wouldn't be able to get close to the jetpacks again.

"Hey Tim, we missed you." David Oster stooped down in front of Tim. "Took us a while to think of you as Tim, we knew you as Tyler...but when Agent Gibbs explained what you'd been doing, didn't take long for us to think of you as a Special Agent because what you did was real special." David glanced at Tim's friends. "Not sure I should be saying this right now, your friends are kind of intimidating, but if ever you want to come and hang out at the lab, I'd love to have you around." He licked his dry lips and continued. "Derek will come over to talk with you when the flight is done, but he said I was to tell you, when you're fully recovered, maybe in the spring, if you want to take another flight...the pack is part yours Tim, anytime you want to fly, you only have to ask, and we'll make it happen."

Without waiting for a response David was gone, and Tim laughed aloud. "That's David all over, always has somewhere else he needs to be. Can you believe it Abs, after everything they're willing to let me go back up there." He gazed up to the clear blue sky.

"Sure I believe it, they know how much you helped them. Tim..the flying..."

He detected the hint of fear in her voice. "Getting fit for field duty is my priority Abs, sure I'd love to fly one more time, but nothing is more important than being with you, getting back to NCIS, everything else, it can wait."

The unmistakable sound of the jetpack engine filled the air, and everyone craned their necks to see Derek Pascoe taking the pack through its paces, Derek flew close by and saluted Tim as he made a low pass. Tim reached out for Abby's hand and pulled her close.

"Are you cold Tim?"

"Not when you're sitting next to me, don't you remember the old song...'I've got my love to keep me warm'?"

The other occupants of the front row had taken their eyes off the flight and had been watching Abby and Tim closely, Gibbs glanced at Ducky and whispered. "How long did you have?"

Ducky smiled a little furtively, he still felt a little guilty joining in Tony's sweepstake on how long it would be before Abby and Tim set up home together, but he'd added his ten dollars to the pot along with most NCIS employees. "Five weeks, I'm expecting them to move in together when they return from visiting Timothy's family at Christmas."

"A canny bet Doctor Mallard, you know, I think you could be right." Gibbs settled back to watch the flight, he had known all along how warm the welcome would be for Tim, but he also knew Tim would never have believed him, as so often with their resident computer genius, he had to see it to believe it. Well now he knew, the people at Inanna practically hero-worshipped him, Abby loved him, and he was going to make a full recovery. As the sun shone down on the arcing jetpack Gibbs smiled in contentment, they may lose Tim occasionally to the lure of flight, but he'd always come back to them, if Tim's brush with death had proved one thing, it was that this team was a single unit, bound together by love and trust, bonds that could never be broken.

THE END

_For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. _

Leonardo da Vinci


End file.
